


Super Smash Bros.: Intertwined Tales

by StreamOfConsciousness



Category: Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-25
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-29 19:53:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 70,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15080522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StreamOfConsciousness/pseuds/StreamOfConsciousness
Summary: A few years ago, meteorites of varying colors had crashed on the planet. They do not seem to have anything special apart from that... or do they? This is an alternate universe fic whereSuper Smash Bros.characters are given random roles, ranging from being a random townsperson to a leader of an army. (rating may change)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was originally carried over from my original FanFiction.net account. As that site has become harder to use in my country, I decided to move it here. Up until the last chapter published in the original account, the fic's flaws are retained.

It is a stormy night. Running through the dark forest, a man appears as if he is being chased down, even though there is nothing behind him. Soaked in fear, he keeps running. That is, until he trips over a rock. The poor man is very exhausted at this point, he is incapable of getting up. After that, the man, under the name of Luigi, drops down, unconscious.

The forest area itself has its own history. Around 5 years ago, according to the scientists, chunks of extraterrestrial objects in the form of meteorites of varying colors had landed on the planet. The exact location was that particular forest. So far, the confirmed ones were the large red meteorite and multiple smaller blue meteorites. At the time, scientists tried to learn about the meteorites' origins, but after a long time without any clear conclusions combined with the rise of the world's crisis, they eventually gave up and decided not to talk about those meteorites ever again. It is made even worse by the fact that the meteorites did not seem to have anything special aside from the coloring… until in the recent times, when the meteorites began to ooze out some liquid substance with the same color as the meteorite that produces it and more meteorites had landed on the planet. This case is not as noticeable however, as, apart from the scientists' issues and the world's ongoing crisis, those meteorites tend to land in seemingly obscure places. Even if active explorers eventually find them, they will always choose to shut up about it as if they know about the scientists' seemingly silly decision. However, there is only exactly one person who is still researching those.

One morning, former bounty hunter Samus Aran is searching around the forest for the meteorites. After a few hours of searching, Samus eventually finds the exact location of where the first meteorites were spotted. All of the meteorites are oozing out a colored substance of their respective color. Samus, without any hesitance, picks up one of the smaller blue meteorites, wanting to bring it back to her base. But then, she spots the unconscious man, Luigi. The poor plumber has bruises on his face. She then walks up to him and checks his pulse to see if he is still alive. Luckily, he is. So, Samus carries Luigi as well.

Samus's base is pretty much her broken down Gunship covered with vegetation. It has lost its colors and looks dull gray with brown rusty parts here and there. Nothing inside the base works anymore, so Samus only relies on the forest's resources to help her research and survival. Inside one of the rooms, Luigi is laying down on a bed made out of leaves, until he suddenly wakes up. He wonders where he is, and he also notices that parts of his face are covered in bandages. Seeing that the plumber has woken up, Samus comes into his room to offer him some food, which he gladly accepts.

Meanwhile, another plumber, this one in red and wears a brown long coat over his plumbing outfit, is walking up to a gorilla wearing a red tie and the same brown long coat, while the gorilla himself is looking around the forest. The plumber, Mario, is carrying a piece of paper. He pokes the gorilla, Donkey Kong, and shows him the paper. The paper is a wanted person paper with Luigi depicted on it.

One noteworthy weird thing is, from the looks of it, it appears as if Mario is completely against him. Mario is Luigi's brother. The exact reason will always remain to be seen… for now.


	2. The Trophy and the Glowing Eyes of Doom

One day, Luigi is fishing on a pier by a lake, and manages to catch only one fish so far. From the distance, Samus is seemingly watching him. However, deep in her thoughts, she feels that it is the first time she has accepted another person into her base since a long time ago, and that person himself has helped her for the past few days instead of being a threat.

Samus recalls her memories about Luigi tidying up the rusty base to make it, well, more comfortable than before, even though it is still as rusty as ever and the machinery is not fixed at all. She also recalls that he also helped gathering the other meteorites, all done without a protective suit like hers. While at first she is worried about him, she began to think positive that a person like Luigi will not gain any kind of side effect from the meteorites, if there is any, especially considering the fact that the plumber, while still healing from his injuries, can still perform various feats to impress her, and there are no signs of him weakening.

After her train of thoughts, she does not notice Luigi standing in front of her until she opens her eyes and looks down to see the plumber, surprising her a bit. Luigi just smiles at her before chuckling.

Suddenly, a ball of light comes down and takes Luigi's hat. The light appears to be two-dimensional, like a paper. Yes, the light emanating from it even only covers that specific plane. Not wanting to lose his hat, the plumber chases down the paper-ish light. Samus follows him as well.

As they chase down the light, they run deeper through the woods. The trees are denser, making it hard for those two to keep track. Eventually, they are separated.

Samus is the first to come out of the woods. She then jumps down the cliff nearby. Upon landing, she is greeted by someone. That someone looks just like a human, though he has pointy ears. He wears a long floppy green hat with a dark blue tip on it, a dark blue cape, a green tunic, white pants, and brown boots. The hylian, Link, walks up to the ex-bounty hunter and offers her some sort of trophy. On its round stand, a miniature of a Super Mushroom is depicted on it. Samus accepts it, but before she can even ask, Link has disappeared.

Luigi somehow manages to meet Samus again after getting separated. Noticing the trophy on Samus's hand, the plumber begins to wonder about it. However, Samus simply shrugs as she has no idea what is actually going on. Despite this, she decided to keep it, as if it is her valuable treasure.

However, both of them do not realize that they are being watched over by Mario and Donkey Kong. Having found what they wanted, the latter begins to make a call using his phone.

"This number is only used to report wanted people. If you happen to find a person featured in our posters, tell us. Anything other than that will not be accepted."

The gorilla grins in satisfaction, then gives his phone to Mario.

On the other side of the phone, a man whose face is partially covered by the visor on his red helmet is just as satisfied as Donkey Kong when he hears Mario's report.

* * *

At night, Luigi and Samus are back at the base. The latter, now in her Zero Suit, is still examining the trophy she got from Link. Nothing seems to be out of ordinary. It simply looks like a typical figurine on a stand. She tried looking at every part of the trophy, but there is nothing unique about it. Meanwhile, the hatless Luigi passes by then sits beside her, sighing.

"…Luigi? What's in your mind?"

"Hm…"

"It's just a hat. No need to think about it too much."

All of sudden, part of the wall is broken down. The two are surprised to see a huge ape bashing through the base. Following the primate is Mario, the plumber in red.

"Heh heh heh… What do we have here?" the plumber began speaking. "I'm sorry, brother, but you have to accept this!" he then begins to throw a punch straight at Luigi. Luckily, the other plumber intercepts Mario's action by grabbing his arm, keeping him from landing that punch. Seemingly aware of his shorter brother's actions, the plumber in green throws him to the other side of the room. Donkey Kong is about to strike as well, but he gets punched in the face by Luigi, followed by getting paralyzed by Samus's paralyzer, her only held weapon as she's not in her armor.

Realizing that they cannot stay in the base anymore, Luigi has no choice but to run away while the plumber-gorilla duo is still down. Without giving Samus a chance to grab her protective suit, Luigi grabs her arm and drags her along. Of course, the confused Samus also has no choice but to follow the green plumber.

Once they have gotten into the deepest part of the forest, the two stop to catch their breath. However, they then realized that they are now surrounded, as Bob-ombs begin to pop out from every part of the environment. After that, the leader of those wind-up bomb creatures, a muscular bounty hunter in blue shows up. Falcon is his name. He is followed by two additional henchmen, Ness the psychic boy and Beedrill the Poison Bee Pokémon.

"Heh, heh. It's been a while. Do you still remember me?" Falcon said to Luigi.

Seeing Falcon, the plumber in green suddenly recalls his past memory involving him.

It was two years ago. A war was taking place at a region not too far away from the forest where Samus's base is. However, this is just one of the many wars that are happening at the planet. In fact, the crisis that started some time after the meteorites were discovered was actually in the form of these wars. Additionally, it is still on-going even during the recent times. No reason is known yet as of now. At one war, Luigi is one of the very few survivors. He was part of a tiny army, fighting against Falcon's explosive army.

Nowadays, seeing Falcon again pretty much brings back the poor plumber's nightmares. He never expected the bounty hunter, who also happens to be the leader of an army, catching up to him.

Without any hesitation, Captain Falcon commands the Bob-ombs. "Kill him!"

One by one, the Bob-ombs' fuses begin to light up as they charge toward the duo. Luigi and Samus jump away, causing two of the Bob-ombs to crash into each other. The explosion caused by this then hits the other Bob-ombs, like a chain reaction, all the while Luigi and Samus keep dodging every explosion and falling trees. However, despite this, more Bob-ombs keep coming, as if there are millions of them.

All is still fine, until in the middle of the mess, Falcon orders Ness to strike Luigi. Because of the explosions and a lot of dodging, the plumber does not realize that the boy is attacking him from behind. At first, he is able to fight back, until Ness gets out a rope and ties him up while they are still fighting. A pretty impressive act coming from a boy fighting against an adult. Meanwhile, Samus, who is further away from Luigi, is suddenly slashed in the right side of her face by the Beedrill. Seeing the blood squirting out from Samus's head, the helpless Luigi can only watch in horror. After that, he passes out, then suddenly…

A dark aura is visible, engulfing his body. He suddenly gets up, eyes glowing yellow, and his appearance has changed. He now wears a black mask, a green bandanna around his neck, and a black jumpsuit. He then quickly disintegrates the rope, releasing himself. After that, he reaches out to a nearby Bob-omb and hurls it to a group of other Bob-ombs, causing more explosion and destruction to the forest. Meanwhile, Samus gets up, feeling weakened from the attack and poison, then sees the whole destruction caused by the "dark side" Luigi, also known as Mr. L. Even though she can only see it through her other, still healthy eye, she is surprised at this reveal. Suddenly, Mr. L looks back and stares at Samus. In panic, she shouts, "I COMMAND YOU TO STOP!"

Mr. L stops moving as he remembers about Samus, then he slowly reverts back to Luigi. In horror, he looks around the devastated forest that is caused by none other than himself. "…What have I done?"

However, Ness takes this chance to once again tie up Luigi. Like before, it ended in a success. Now that Luigi is helpless, Falcon's team is almost done with their job. Falcon is now thinking that he also has to capture Samus as well, seeing that she is involved with Luigi now. Suddenly, Mario and Donkey Kong show up in front of the bounty hunter. Captain Falcon then promptly scolds them for making his job difficult. Meanwhile, Samus is trying to stealthily escape from the place by walking behind fallen trees when suddenly she accidentally steps on a twig, snapping it and causing Falcon to notice her.

"There she is!"

Fearing Samus's safety, the tied up Luigi tries to distract the others. He manages to charge forward, knocking down Mario. And so, Samus quickly flees while the others are focusing on Mario. However, the plumber in red and the gorilla do not give up. The two leave Luigi to Captain Falcon and run after Samus.

Samus keeps running while holding her damaged eye with one hand and the trophy with the other. She has left her only weapon back at Falcon's place when she failed to escape without being noticed, as she accidentally dropped it. After running for a while, she is then stopped by a cliff's edge. She then turns back to see Mario and Donkey Kong finally getting closer to her, meaning that there is no turning back now. Before Mario can get even closer to Samus, she leaps off the cliff into the river below. However, due to her injuries and the poison plus the strong current, she cannot help herself. Also, her trophy is separated from her when she landed in the water. The weakened Samus is then carried to the waterfall.

Back at Falcon's place, Falcon's army is leaving the forest. The plumber and the gorilla then approach Falcon and report to him about what happened to Samus. Luigi, who is dragged along, begins to fear that his only trusted friend is dead.

"Samus… I hope you're still okay…" Luigi thought.

At a lake below the waterfall, Samus's body is seen at the lake's edge. Link approaches her and quickly checks her pulse to see if she is still alive. The pulse is present, and Samus can possibly still be saved. Link then has to find a way to heal all her injuries before it is too late.

* * *

There is a small town near the forest. Surrounded by the lush forest areas, it is considered to be one of the most peaceful places, which are very few recently due to the crisis. The people living there do not really care much about the wars. They just feel grateful to live in such peaceful place. There are conflicts, obviously, but it is so uncommon it is hardly noticeable.

Walking to a café, two explorers, Barbara and Jill, are chatting about their recent adventures.

"The watery caves have lame treasures. All we got are these blue orbs that don't seem to serve any other purpose." Barbara said.

"But we got a shiny pearl, Barbara! It's huge!" Jill happily said.

"Huh. I forgot about that."

At the café, they are suddenly greeted with a happy Yoshi dancing to a disco music, with a red flower held in his mouth. However, he is then stopped by the café owner, Kat, shortly after. He is slapped in the face, causing him to get sad and leave. After getting rid of the green dinosaur, Kat greets them.

"Hi there. I'm Kat, and welcome to my café! Usually, Ana works with me here, but she's not here right now, heehee!"

"Well, hello, Kat. What's this place's specialty? We just need something to refresh us a bit." Barbara said.

"We're explorers, Kat!" Jill shouted, causing Barbara to feel annoyed.

"Heehee, well then, you two. I'll make my best drink!"

After waiting for a while, the drinks have been finished. Apparently, the café's specialty is a cup of tea. After taking a few sips, Barbara commented, "This tastes pretty good. I never thought a child like you can make this stuff, let alone owning a café at such a young age."

"Aw… thanks! Actually, I got a help from someone else here. Kirby! Come here! I'd like you to see our guests!"

Not long after that, a round pink creature with short, stubby hands and large red feet shows up. He has chocolate cream on his mouth.

"Oh… not again…" Kat said. The happy Kirby then jumps to the tall seat so that he can clearly see the two explorers. "Hi!"

"That's your assistant?" Barbara asked.

"Yes… but he can cause some trouble sometimes. He likes those sweets… too much."

"He's so cute!" Jill said.

"By the way, I know you're very young and might not, um, reliable enough to us, but… can you tell us about trophies? As in, a small figure on a round base?" Barbara asked.

"Trophies? Small figure on round base? Hm… I think I've seen one." Kat said.

"Really? Where?"

"Um… I think I saw a man and a gorilla holding something like that. I think they're explorers too!"

"Interesting. Anything else you know about it?"

"…No. I thought it's just a little toy."

"It's okay. At least you can give us a little information."

* * *

At a hospital, Samus wakes up on her bed, feeling slightly dizzy. "Where…?"

Feeling her right side of her face, Samus then realizes that someone has covered it in bandages. She still can only see with her left eye, but at least she is glad that she still lives. However, her memories of falling into the river have faded due to her rather short coma, so she becomes clueless regarding what happened to her.

Samus then leaves her bed and room and tries to walk through the corridors. It appears that she is not as weak as before. As she is walking through a corridor, a round pink creature with cat-like ears and wearing a nurse hat spots her, then promptly scolds her.

"Purin! Purin purin purin?! Purin purin!"

Not being able to understand what the creature is saying, Samus simply ignores it and keeps walking, eventually reaching the stairs leading to a lower level floor. There, many activities are seen. A huge, turtle-like creature with a spiky shell, wearing a mailman hat, and holding a mailbag is seen delivering a letter. There is another nurse there, but she is a human, with blonde hair and blue eyes and wearing a complete nurse outfit. Two town guards wearing blue armor are walking by, with one appears to be a gerudo, while the other is a blue anthropomorphic falcon… or probably a pheasant. Another anthropomorphic animal, a fox, is seen trying to fix the cracks on the ceiling while being bothered by a blue red-winged being. A yellow mouse-like creature is seen playing with a green-haired man in a red suit.

Just as Samus begins stepping down the stairs even lower, the winged being, Devil, manages to knock the anthropomorphic fox, who is named, well, Fox, off the ladder, causing him to fall into the buckets of paint below. The hospital is definitely messier at this point. The paint even splatters on other people present there. Ignoring what is happening, Samus just runs out of the hospital.

When she steps out from the building, she sees that she is now at a rather foreign place. Without any clue of where to go and what to do, she just walks around the town, until a child-like voice is heard.

"Excuse me, miss!"

Samus looks around until she spots a small, wooden house where the voice is coming from. A young boy in a blue parka stands there, looking at her.

"You seem to be lost, so come here! You can stay in my house!"

Without any other choices, Samus can not help but accept his offer. She enters the small house.

In the living room, the boy, Popo, begins talking to Samus. "By the way, I offered you to stay because there's something important I have to tell you, and only you."

Samus is surprised at his sudden change in tone, from being "happy child"-like tone to a completely serious, yet still child-like tone. The whole important talk is also very sudden.

"Miss Samus, I believe you've met this person, alright?"

Link then shows up from the other room, trophy in hand. It is the Super Mushroom trophy that Samus lost. Samus, at first, wonders how the boy even knew her name, but she then remembers that the guy in the green tunic is the same person she met some time ago. He probably reported to Popo about her.

"Samus, this is Link. He told me everything he saw after he gave you that trophy. I'm actually going to talk about the trophy's purpose. From Link's experience with it, it appears that it contains a certain person's memories, depending on the trophy. Only Link can see those memories, though."

Link then demonstrates it by closing his eyes while still holding the trophy with both hands and concentrating. A vision of a memory is formed.

The first event took place two years ago. Luigi and his two allies, Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch, were relaxing in the woods, being positive that they could win the war. The vision then cuts to show the event taking place inside some sort of prison. Luigi, in Mr. L form, was held there, chained by cables that appear to be made of light. Two orbs of light then hovered down, getting close to Mr. L, but the feral plumber roared, scaring those lights, before he became really exhausted and dropped down on the floor, reverting back to Luigi. The two lights are, in fact, the spirits of Luigi's fallen allies. Despite this, the lights could still help him escape by hovering through the bars then activating the switches that opened the gate and released him from the cables. When Luigi got up, he saw this as an opportunity to escape, so he ran through the dark corridors while still trying to be stealthy so that no guards can find him. He then arrived at a stable, where he got on one of the horses and escaped. After that, the vision fades and Link finally opens his eyes.

Samus is still confused, as Link never even speaks a single word to her. Popo then explains to her.

"Listen up, miss. When I saw Link doing the same memory-reading act for the first time, I asked him about it. He told me that the memory appears to belong to a friend of yours. He was part of a war, but he was then captured by the opposing army."

"…So that's why."

"I think at one point, your friend was attacked in the middle of the escape, forcing him to leave his horse. After that, he tried to escape on his own. And he succeeded that time."

"I can't believe this… From what I saw, he doesn't even seem to act like some sort of threat."

"Because he's not a threat, when he's not activating his dark side…"

Samus then regains her memories of seeing Mr. L for the first time. It was still a shocking reveal to her.

"You're free to believe me or not, because I'm just a kid. However… I've been researching those trophies for quite a while."

*knock* *knock*

Hearing the door being knocked, Popo stops talking and opens the door. It is Pichu, the Tiny Mouse Pokémon. It wears a mailman hat and is holding a mailbag. It then shows Popo an envelope.

"Oh, for me? Thanks."

The Pichu then gets on the Mount Pokémon, Gogoat, and leaves. Meanwhile, Popo closes the door.

"Okay… speaking of research, my friend Nana is currently climbing up another mountain that is said to have the remnants of the ancients. It is possible that there is some trophy-related information hidden there. Currently, we're trying to learn about the trophies' secrets, because after a closer look, a trophy's base bears a symbol similar to the one I saw at Smash Tower." Popo said as he opens the envelope and briefly skims through the letter.

"So, the trophies are connected to that particular tower? Wait a minute… trophies… there are more than one?!"

"Yep. I don't know how many, but I'm sure that there are more. Well, at least according to Link."

"Then, what am I supposed to do? Help you complete your research? I also have a research of my own, but it's not possible anymore."

"I know it's a stupid request, but yes. You were given that mushroom trophy because Link chose you to help us. Who knows if there's some kind of, well… I don't know, magical properties that can bring world peace, for example."

Link then gives back the Super Mushroom trophy to Samus. He also gives Samus a purple scarf to wear around her neck. Before she can even ask, Popo immediately tells her, "It's just to remind us that you're part of this activity. Also, it looks cool!"

"By the way, um… what's your name?"

"Oh. I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Popo."

"Fine then. Also, don't you feel uncomfortable wearing that outfit?"

"To me, this parka is already part of me. I love my outfit so much, I refuse to take it off, even if at hot places."

Samus just sighs, considering that she might be surrounded by weird people at this point.


	3. Light of Hope

At night, in the forest, though not too far from the small town, Mario and Donkey Kong are resting underneath a huge tree. Many fireflies can be seen flying around, giving a breathtaking view for the duo. Among those fireflies, only one of them is not a firefly. It is noticeably bigger and brighter. That ball of light hovers closer to Mario, making him notice it. His gorilla friend notices it as well.

"Princess… You are here. Um. I am sorry…"

The ball of light simply stays hovering in place for a while, then hovers in a circular motion, signaling the plumber to follow it. And so, Mario gets up and walks, following it. Donkey Kong, not wanting to be left alone, walks along with the plumber.

Deep inside the forest, the yellow light stops, having reached its destination. There, the plumber and the gorilla stop to see a scythe on the ground. It is not really large, its blade is rather small and there are yellow engravings on the blade.

"That's… your old weapon, isn't it?"

The ball of light hovers up and down, as if it is nodding. After that, the plumber picks up the scythe.

"Thank you, princess. I am going to take care of it. Both Donkey Kong and I will stop the whole crisis!"

The yellow light is Princess Zelda's spirit. She was one of the legendary warriors. She was notable for being one of the bravest female warriors ever existed. She fought primarily with magic, excelled in archery and was known to deliver fatal blows using that scythe. Ever since the wars started, she had been participating in many battles until she finally died. How she died remains a mystery. Many rumors are formed from this particular warrior alone. Possible causes, according to many people, can range from being hung in an unexplored forest to having her corpse being hidden somewhere after being mutilated. Her only trusted companions, Mario and Donkey Kong, are the only ones who can continue her duties. At first, it was not possible for the duo to do so because her signature weapon was not found yet. That is why the two have spent their time doing something else, but still relevant to the crisis. Now that they have found the scythe, Mario and Donkey Kong are now confident that they can help Zelda out.

After picking up the scythe, the duo, along with Zelda's spirit, decided to walk out of the forest. Before they can even leave the forest, they encounter the explorer duo Barbara and Jill.

"Hey! You two!" Barbara shouted in surprise.

"Wha-? Do I know you?!" Mario said.

"Actually, we don't, but we heard that you two visited a café in the nearby town."

"Hmph. Now, what do you want?"

"I'd like to take a look at your trophy, just to confirm that you're the ones that the café owner talked about."

"I don't want to do that."

"As expected. We know that you might refuse to work with us. Jill and I are researching the trophies and have been exploring many places for that purpose, but we couldn't find any. If you don't believe us, take a look at our badges!" Barbara shows them her large yellow badge.

"Probably faked."

"Our badges are legit. We know what the fakes actually look like. Fake ones don't glow like this."

"Hmph."

"I see. You really refuse to work with us. You are really this selfish."

Zelda's spirit then hovers near Mario's head, seemingly whispering something to his ear. The plumber is surprised at what the light told him. While still feeling annoyed, he looks back at the two explorers, walks up to them and takes his trophy out from one of the pockets on his coat.

Indeed, Mario and Donkey Kong own a trophy. It is not known yet how they got it, though. The trophy depicts a Smash Ball on it.

"Kat was right! Yay!" Jill happily said.

"Hush!" Barbara silences her partner.

After the two explorers stare at it for a while, Mario then asks, "Now what? What would you like to do with our trophy?"

"Oh. Sorry. Mind if I take a photo of it? From, maybe, three different views?"

"…Sure."

As Mario still holds his trophy, Barbara takes out her camera and begins taking pictures of it: front view, top view and bottom view. Once she is done, she says, "Thanks a lot. Don't worry, we won't let these photos fall into someone else's hands."

"As long as you keep that promise, I'll trust you two."

Barbara nods. And so, the explorer duo leaves Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda, going deeper into the forest.

"If those explorers actually lie… I'll end them immediately. No questions asked. No more hesitation. No ifs and buts." the plumber thought.

* * *

The next day, Samus begins to wonder what she is supposed to do first. As if seemingly reading Samus's mind, Popo gives her a suggestion.

"Say, Samus. What about if you focus on finding your friend?"

"My friend...? You mean, Luigi?"

"Huh. So that's his name. Link never told me, so I don't know. But anyway, yes, I mean it. If the trophy can be properly united with the proper owner, who knows that something good will happen!"

"I can agree with that... somewhat. But where do I start?"

"Hmm... From what Link reported to me, he once saw you being attacked by Falcon and his cronies. So..."

Hearing the never-before-heard name Falcon, Samus then tries to remember more about what happened back then.

"Hm? Are you very worried, miss?" Popo asked.

"Oh. Um... I'm definitely worried, but hearing that name Falcon... I've never heard of that name before..."

"Huh. I think he didn't mention his name to you, but we know him though. According to Link, this Falcon guy cornered you with his army of Bob-ombs, and then..."

"I was... cornered?"

Link simply nods. And from that, Samus began to regain more of her memories.

"Okay. Let me continue. Link told me that your friend showed his dark side after getting tied up the first time by one of Falcon's henchmen."

"Now I remember."

"Oh?"

"After Luigi's dark side showed up, he proceeded to cause a lot of destruction to the forest we were in by hurling several Bob-ombs around him until I commanded him to stop. After that, he was tied up once again when he regained his senses. I was very defenseless at that time, so I chose to run away. During that, I fell off a cliff, into the river underneath."

Popo just smiles a bit after hearing that. He is glad that Samus has finally remembered what happened to her as well as Luigi.

"Now, miss. Now that you've remembered everything, it should be clear where we should be looking."

"Where?"

"Falcon's base, obviously! Where else should we be going?"

"Are you out of your mind?!"

"Well, excuse me, miss, but I think it's common knowledge to people around here that Falcon always goes back to his base once he captured a wanted person."

"Kid, I don't even live here."

"Oh... okay then. By the way... the only way to get to his base from here is by crossing the sea. But don't worry, there's one trustworthy person capable of taking us there!"

Samus can only sigh, then she says, "...Crossing the sea? But I thought that his base is located in a forest."

"That was a long time ago, miss. His new base is now located at a faraway continent. Obviously, it's not exactly clear which part of continent he resides in now, seeing that he wants to be less noticeable to his enemies as possible."

"I see. Now, who's this guy you're talking about that you think is trustworthy enough for us?"

* * *

At the town's harbor, Popo and Link take Samus to meet her with the person Popo was talking about. When they finally meet up with that person, it is revealed that the person is a blue-haired man wearing a blue uniform and black robe. He is also shown to have bandages wrapping around his head and a sword.

"Samus, meet Marth." Popo introduced her to the man.

Turning back to see the trio, the man, Marth, says, "Oh. It's you, Popo. Long time no see. And who's this Samus you're talking about?"

The female ex-bounty hunter takes a few steps forward.

"Hm. A new face here, it seems."

"Marth, sir, Samus was brought here after a certain accident. She lost her, presumably, only friend to... *gulp* Falcon."

Marth is surprised. Suddenly, a ball of light shows up after hiding underneath his robe for a while. The other three are fascinated by that light.

"Oh. It's my fairy companion. I don't know what to call it, but I think it's best for it to be unnamed."

"That's cool." Popo said.

"By the way, um... Marth, even though that kid believes that you're trustworthy, are you really capable of taking us to Falcon's base?"

"Of course I am! I've explored many places with my trusty ship, and one of them, Falcon's base, also happens to be visited by my crew and I often." Marth shows Samus his huge, wooden ship with sails.

"I've told you so, Samus!" Popo exclaimed.

"...Are you sure this is safe?" Samus asked Marth again.

"No need to worry. My crew is well-trained to face the wrath of the ocean. My ship also rarely breaks."

"Why do I have a feeling that this won't end well..." Samus thought.

Popo then walks up to the blue-haired man.

"So, Marth. Are you okay with the three of us going to Falcon's base? You see, we're in the middle of a research, but we need Samus's friend who is being kept there to help us. Also, he's very important to Samus, it seems."

While the two are busy talking to each other, Samus walks up to Link and begins questioning him.

"Sorry if I'm sounding rude, but, Link, why didn't you try to warn us of Falcon back then? If you've been watching us since I've gotten the trophy, you should've known of any incoming danger heading to us."

However, Link does not answer. He simply looks down, as if he is hiding something.

After waiting for an answer that never comes out, Samus is suddenly called by Popo to board the ship.

Before setting sail, Marth introduces the trio to his crew: Gray Fox, a Hammer Bro, Kururin, and Isaac. Gray Fox is covered in armor and wears a maroon helmet, and not much is known about him. Marth's Hammer Bro ally looks exactly the same as the usual Hammer Bros, being an anthropomorphic turtle wearing shoes and often seen carrying a hammer, but instead of wearing a helmet, this particular Hammer Bro wears a white sailor's hat. Kururin is a blue duck who is a former aviator of a strange, elongated stick-like vehicle. He wears a purple bandanna around his head. Last but not least, Isaac, while he looks like an ordinary human, is capable of manipulating earth-based forces... actually, he used to. After an unknown accident, he has lost his memories as well as his powers. He is currently the latest member of Marth's crew.

After all of that, Marth and his crew prepare the ship for sailing. While the trio is waiting in their room, Samus asks Popo, who is now looking at the worried-looking Link.

"What's wrong with Link now?"

"I don't know."

"I guess I was too rude..."

"What did you do?"

"I was asking him about why he didn't warn us about Falcon."

"Oh. That. You see... Link is never comfortable if Falcon is around. He'd rather stay away."

"Why's that?"

"He was once a target for Falcon... until some time later when he was completely forgotten by not only Falcon but also his hometown... Remember that Falcon is very ruthless and can even turn an entire town against the person he doesn't like."

At night, when the ship is on its way to its destination, Falcon's base, everyone is having some dinner. Everyone, except Samus. She is standing at the ship's deck, staring at the night sky while still holding the Super Mushroom trophy. A shooting star is suddenly seen. To her, the shooting star signifies that there's still hope. Hope of rescuing her friend. Hope of stopping Falcon.

"Luigi... wherever you are right now, Falcon's base or not, I hope that you're still alright..."

* * *

Later that night, Marth's ship is going through heavy rain and harsh thunderstorms. His crew is helping him out as well in order to ensure that their passengers can arrive safely. As for those passengers, all three of them are asleep.

"Urgh... If there's something worse than this, we'd be screwed!" Marth said as he struggles to control his ship.

"AAAAAAAAAARRGHHH!"

*BOOM!*

The trio wakes up due to the sudden noises. Their door is then bashed open by none other than Marth himself, who has lost his right hand now. He is clearly seen clutching the stub where his hand used to be, trying to prevent himself from losing too much blood. Of course, the three passengers are surprised. As for Popo, he immediately covers his eyes from the unpleasant sight.

"Please... h-help us..." Marth weakly said.

"What happened?" Samus asked.

"A sea monster... is attacking us... Come with me..." Marth then walks out. Wondering what kind of sea monster they are facing, the passengers follow him.

At the ship's deck, a gigantic, white squid creature is seen holding its victims in its tentacles. All of Marth's crew are captured. They are being flailed around, with one of them, Kururin, ends up being slammed multiple times to the ship's deck floor, breaking both his skull and the wooden floor.

"NO! KURURIN!" Marth shouted.

"WAAAAHHH! CAP'N MARTH! THIS 'ERE BLOOPER CAN'T STOP SWINGIN' ME AROUND! HEEELLLPP!" the Hammer Bro screamed.

"What are we going to do, Marth?!" Samus asked in panic.

"Urgh... Strike its tentacles... But be careful... It's really fast despite its size..."

"What about those people?!" Popo asked.

"Did you forget... that they're well-trained... ready to face the wrath of the ocean... urk..."

Marth then collapses.

"MARTH!" Samus exclaimed.

"Don't panic! Let me handle this. Miss Samus, do you have some sort of weapon?" Popo said.

"I don't have any! I lost all of them when I woke up in that town!" Samus replied.

Suddenly, Link is seen charging forward towards the giant Blooper, sword in one hand, shield on the other. The hylian leaps and slashes one of the Blooper's tentacles, cutting it off. Naturally, the giant Blooper roars in pain and begins to focus on Link. In anger, it swings its many tentacles around, destroying several parts of the ship.

"Oh, no! This is getting worse!" Popo exclaimed. Then, noticing the Super Mushroom trophy being held by Samus, the ice climber says, "Samus, whatever happens, please hold on to the trophy tightly! You don't want to lose it again, right?!"

Samus simply nods. Considering the current situation they are in, Samus instead helps Popo out with taking care of the unconscious Marth.

Meanwhile, Link is busy dodging the flailing tentacles. He is still trying to find an opening in order to cut off the Blooper's tentacles, even though it is near-impossible at this point. A few minutes later, both Link and the giant Blooper are now tired, with the latter slowly submerging itself back into the sea, carrying Marth's crew with it. Link himself is relieved, but he is extremely disappointed that he could not save the held victims.

However...

It is not over yet.

The giant Blooper now emerges from one side of the ship, near where Marth, Popo and Samus are at. The monster then quickly grabs Samus, separating her from the trophy once again in the process.

"OH NO!" Popo exclaimed. He quickly grabs the fallen trophy before it is out of reach.

All of a sudden, several red-and-white balls fall right on Marth's ship. Once they land, they all unleash a Beedrill each. The Pokémon horde then promptly knocks out every survivor there. Samus herself is left unharmed by the Beedrill, but she can only watch in horror as her allies are stabbed and stung repeatedly. After all of that, a beam of light covers the whole ship as well as the giant Blooper.

* * *

A slight breeze. A calming atmosphere. Samus wakes up to see that she is in a completely different place. It is a wide, green meadow, which only has a single huge cherry blossom tree, whose petals can also be occasionally seen flying around thanks to the breezy wind. It contrasts to what happened to her before that. The place also looks very peaceful... but otherwise it is mostly empty except for the tree. There is no one else there but Samus herself, who actually woke up underneath that tree.

The woman then realized that she can see perfectly fine. She puts her hand on her face, and as she expected, the bandages covering her right eye are gone and there are no signs of scars or any form of injury. Noticing this, she has two thoughts: either she ends up in the afterlife or she is currently dreaming.

Samus then gets up and looks around. She is a bit curious about the whole area she is in, but she is hesitant to explore it. However, there is nothing else in her current spot, so she decided to explore the wide open area anyway.

Suddenly, as soon as she takes a few steps away from the cherry blossom tree, the bright sky fades into a dark, night one. The cloudy sky clears up, and stars and a moon are now visible. Samus is already aware of the strangeness of the place, so she just shrugs it off and continues walking.

Hundreds of meters have been walked through, but there is still nothing except the grassy meadow. Despite this, Samus keeps walking, whilst thinking about Luigi on her way. She is now wondering about whether Luigi is still alive or not, as well as what Falcon would do to him if he is indeed still alive. Stuck in her thoughts during her seemingly-endless trek through the meadow, a voice calls her.

"You're Samus, correct?"

The woman stops walking after hearing that. She looks around, but she cannot find the source. The voice does not sound like anyone she has ever met before, yet that person apparently knows Samus.

In front of her, a human figure fades in from the nothingness. He appears to be a swordsman, as shown by him keeping his sword in his sheath. Samus takes a few steps back, fearing that he might be an ally of Falcon's.

"I don't mean any harm." the red-haired swordsman spoke.

"Then, who are you?"

"I'm Roy. I watch over the small town that you ended up in. Since I've never seen you before prior to that, I found you interesting."

Samus is at a loss of words. She has no idea what's happening anymore.

As Roy looks at the star-filled sky, he says, "People in that town know me as the 'Flying Human' because I usually spend my night time jumping from one building to another just to see if there are no crimes happening. However, people don't know that I have the ability to enter a dream of someone that I know. And that's why I'm here."

"So... I'm really dreaming..."

"Correct. Now, what's your situation right now?"

"I'm allied with a parka-wearing boy and pointy-eared swordsman who never speaks, as well as a group of sailors. From what I remember, we were attacked during our journey to find Luigi, who is my only real friend. A gigantic squid creature caused a mess, then after that there was a light... then I ended up here before I realized that it's a dream."

"Hm. I see. I guess that Luigi person seems to be precious to you, right?"

Samus just nods. Roy then looks at Samus again and says, "It's alright. I understand. Every person needs a friend or ally no matter how alone you feel."

"Other than that, it's a long story to be told." Samus said.

"I see. I see. Now first things first, you have to wake up from this dream."

"How am I going to do that? This dream feels so real it's difficult to wake up from."

"Just follow my instructions and you'll be back in the real world in no time. But before doing that, I have to say that I cannot detect your current location."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"You're so far away. Normally I can mention someone's current location via a dream, but you seem to be located not even on the same island or continent as the town you lived in..."

"Could it mean...?"

"I think you've just reached your destination, assuming that your friend is located there."

"I hope so."

"Now... you can now wake up with ease. First, you have to close your eyes, then concentrate. Think that you're back in the real world."

"Wouldn't pinching my cheek do the work?"

"Sadly, no. It won't work if I'm in your dream..."

"Fine. I'll do it, just as you instructed." Samus then closes her eyes and begins thinking about the real world places she has been.

The dream world and Roy begin to fade away, meaning that it is working. After leaving only Samus in a black void, she then feels as if she is being transported back to the real world, as if the dream world being a somewhat "real", alternate universe kind of thing.


	4. The Ballroom, the Assistants, and the Trophy Tale

After waking up from the dream, Samus opens her eyes to see that she has been sleeping at a seated position on what appears to be some sort of throne. She realizes that she actually has regained her perfectly-functioning sight, much like in her dream before. She then looks at herself, but it only causes her to get horrified as she is now wearing a fancy-looking pink gown. She thinks that this can not be the real world, but unfortunately for her, it is.

She gets up from the throne, and that is when she realized that the gown hinders her movement much. As she looks around, she jumps into a conclusion that she is now inside some sort of castle, and she is currently inside the ballroom.

But the question is, why did she end up there?

A door opens. The woman switches her focus to the door, expecting something worse. Once the door has been fully opened, she is surprised to see that of all people, it is Luigi, who is now wearing a typical prince uniform. He looks worried, and from his struggle to stay still, it appears that his movement is forced.

Another door, this time from the upper floor that leads to the only balcony facing the room, opens. Samus now directs her attention to that particular door, where a muscular figure steps in, grinning in satisfaction.

It is Falcon.

"Welcome to my castle, you despicable guest!" the bounty hunter greets the angry Samus.

He then continues talking, "Do you like this fancy place? It's perfect for you. Look, we even dressed you up properly! MWAHAHAHA!"

Samus clenches her fist in anger, while poor Luigi keeps being forced to walk towards her.

"By the way, I see that you've developed quite a strong bond with that guy over there." Falcon points to Luigi. "Isn't it nice?"

As Luigi gets closer, a familiar dark aura enveloping him begins to show up. At this point, Samus knows that something is not right, so she begins to back off slowly.

"What's wrong...? You don't like your only friend...? Come on, your relationship is pretty strong, that's what I think. Relationship... relationship... ship... shipping... heheheh."

Samus keeps walking backwards, fearing that she will lose her life to Luigi if he reaches her. She can simply fight her way through, but she has no weapons and she does not want to harm Luigi.

"You two... I shall ship you... to an isolated, barren island where YOU WILL DIE! AND NO ONE WILL HELP YOU! HAHAHAHA!"

Meanwhile, Popo, Link and Marth have busted themselves out from the prison in the castle, thanks to the careless guards and easy-to-dispatch weak Pokémon. Marth, now having bandages covering the stub that used to be his right hand, is the only one to somewhat struggle moving due to his large amount of blood loss. Of course, the other two help him walk.

"You know, I thought I would die from that particular injury... but I was lucky that I didn't." Marth said.

"So did us! I remember being brutally attacked by those Beedrill, but we're now completely fine when we woke up here!" Popo said.

"Someone working in this prison must be really kind to us, heheh... Even though they couldn't find a way to fix my hand..." Marth smirked.

"Urk... let's ignore about that. We have to find Miss Samus!"

Back at the ballroom, Samus keeps distancing herself away from Luigi.

"Help me..." the poor plumber said.

"Would you look at that? He needs your help, yet you chose to stay away from him! If you still refuse, maybe the part where I ship you off can become my second plan, heheheh..."

Samus is now near a door, only for Falcon to say to her, "Don't even think about leaving. I have placed many of my guards there to keep you here..."

The door is suddenly burst open by the escaped prisoners, who managed to take down the so-called guards, which are simply an army of weak Pokémon and Bob-ombs.

"Samus! You are... um... *snicker*" Popo tries to hold his laugh after seeing Samus in a gown.

"Huh. Never thought that you're a princess..." Marth smirked.

"You can stop mocking me now, help me out!" Samus said.

Link steps forward and uses several smoke balls to cover their escape. He then proceeds to grab Samus's arm and drag her out, running away.

After the colored smokes disappear, Falcon can only smile, as if he has other plans.

"Heheheh... Run, run as far as you can go... but I, Captain Falcon, will chase you down, like a persistent predator chasing its weak prey." Falcon said as he exits the ballroom, leaving only Luigi, whose dark aura instantly dissipates, causing him to collapse on the floor.

Once they have successfully escaped from the castle, they discover that they are now at a snowy region. When they have finally gotten far enough from the castle, the four can finally get to rest.

However, Samus, still in the pink gown, angrily yells at Link, "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"

Popo then answers, "We were trying to help you! We just saw Falcon at that room, remember?"

"Kid, it's obvious that you can see Falcon, but how can you forget that there was Luigi there?!"

Link, being the only one who knows what Luigi looks like, ends up in silence.

"I'm sorry, but while I know Luigi's name, I don't know what he looks like. Only Link..." Popo said.

Samus looks at the worried Link, who can only look down, trying to not admit anything.

"Link, you never speak, but please, tell me why you chose to escape without taking Luigi..." the woman glared.

After a few seconds of silence, Marth tells her, "I think he's really stressed out, what with all the problems we have right now. But I gotta agree that we should have brought that Luigi guy along."

"Samus... I think there's something about Luigi that causes Link to feel uneasy. Maybe we can attempt going to the castle again later and check out what's wrong." Popo said. "By the way..."

Samus looks at the blue ice climber. "I found these stashed out during our escape from the prison. Perhaps you can calm yourself down after changing out of that... I gotta admit, pretty hilarious-looking outfit for someone like you." Popo said before ending with a slight chuckle. He shows Samus her Zero Suit and purple scarf.

The woman can only sigh and take the suit and scarf from the boy's hands.

* * *

In the middle of the snow-covered woods, a small kingdom stands. Both the king and queen have passed away recently, so only the prince remains. Said prince is in the process of becoming king himself. None of the villagers realize, however, that the prince is notoriously egoistic and is often rumored to have dark secrets up his sleeve.

The prince has two assistants, though how he orders them tend to border on unfortunate implications. Even more so when one finally gets to see those two, who are both females: Ana and Lyn. Ana is the younger of the duo and is, in fact, Kat's sister. She was forcefully recruited as an assistant in the kingdom after she was captured during her solo exploration a year ago. She can not leave her duties, as she would be executed if she does so. However, she is still allowed to work alongside Kat in the faraway town, provided that she only does so during certain weeks. Even that does not equal more freedom, as she is still being watched even in her regular job at the town's café by one of the kingdom's guardians who is a stealth expert. Unfortunately, being a young child, she has no idea how much of a burden her life has become due to the fact that she sees both her jobs as something fun. Lyn, on the other hand, is a young woman of unknown origin. She has been working as a lone assistant for the egoistic prince for a long time until Ana accompanies her. Despite the prince's questionable acts, Lyn stays loyal to him.

The two assistants are not completely isolated, however. If they feel lonely, they can play with the prince's various Pokémon which, sadly, are simply treated as his own slaves. It is not uncommon for the prince to have them fight with each other to the death, using "training" as his only excuse for doing so. One notable incident had a huge, powerful Blastoise blasting high-pressure water on the far smaller Clefairy. But the attack did more than intended, and the results were not pretty. Much like Lyn, despite all of the horrible things their owner can possibly do to them, the Pokémon living in the prince's castle stay loyal, possibly in fear of him killing them off if they try to escape or rebel.

One bright day, the prince orders his assistants as usual.

"In preparation of me becoming king, you two have to make sure everything goes as intended. All fancy stuff should not be broken and no Pokémon skip their works! That is all."

"Yes, our..."

"Call me your lord!"

The two assistants pause for a bit before saying, "Yes... our lord..."

"That's more like it. Now, shoo."

At the castle's large hall, several of the prince's Pokémon are busy decorating and preparing everything needed for the kingly celebration, from the colored banner decoration to the tables for feast. Some of them are clearly tired, but they have to keep working anyway if they don't want to succumb to whatever kind of torture the prince will perform on them.

"Those adorable Pokémon have been making things prettier than usual!" Ana happily said.

"Indeed. In fact, they pretty much have to do this if all of them want to please the pri-I mean, our lord." Lyn said.

Suddenly, an exhausted Meowth carrying a sack of coins is about to pass out, causing it to trip and drop his sack, scattering coins everywhere and alerting everyone present in the hall. The poor cat Pokémon can only lie down and wheeze in exhaustion.

"Oh, no!" Ana immediately rushes to the Pokémon.

"I'll put the coins back!" Lyn decided to clean up the mess.

"You must be very tired..." Ana said to the exhausted Pokémon.

"Nyaaarth..." the Meowth cries weakly before finally passing out.

"Meowth? Meowth?!" Ana tried to wake it up, to no avail.

"Ana! Go to the infirmary section and have it healed! Quick!" Lyn commands her, worrying that the Meowth would suffer from something worse.

"A-Alright!" Ana dashes away while carrying the Meowth.

After the whole problem, Lyn notices that the Pokémon around her briefly stopped doing their duties after noticing Meowth's collapse, so she says to them, "Alright. All of you may go back to your work now. You really don't want our lord to execute all of us."

Understanding what Lyn has said to them, the scared Pokémon continue on their work. Lyn herself decides to carry the sack of coins herself, which is as big as the poor Meowth, which explains its tiredness. Thinking that it is supposed to be given to the prince, she walks back to the prince's room.

When she opens the door, she discovers that the prince is sitting lazily while surrounded by gold and valuable treasury.

"Ah... I love the shiny gleams of these... Huh?" the prince notices Lyn.

"Apologies, um, my lord. This sack of coins... it's..."

"Oho... that's my beautiful sack of villager donations that I asked Meowth to gather! Now give it to me!"

Unable to continue her report, Lyn simply gives the sack to the greedy prince.

"Shiny... Um. I don't care what happened to that Meowth. I assume that it passed the sack to you, hm? That thing must be lazy, and it's supposed to bring me fortune."

Lyn can only remain speechless.

"If it continues to be this useless, I might as well give it a well-deserved execution. Oh, I love that word!"

Lyn still cannot speak, though deep inside she genuinely feels sorry for Meowth and can no longer stand the prince's behavior towards his own allies.

"Anyway... I feel that there's something else missing..." the prince said.

"...What is it, my lord?" Lyn wondered.

"I need someone. A woman. A woman worthy enough to rule this kingdom alongside me. Wait, not just that. The woman should also help me expand this feeble excuse of a kingdom and conquer other kingdoms!"

Lyn is left speechless once again. Then, the prince glares at her and says, "No. Not you. You're too young to be considered worthy by me. Heh, I already have my thoughts set about the woman that I'm looking for anyway, thanks to my dreams..."

"...What does she look like?"

"I can't tell you, but I have a feeling that she's nearby this kingdom, hehehe..."

Meanwhile, outside the kingdom, deep in the snowy forest, Samus and company are still resting after the whole trouble with Falcon in his castle. Samus herself is still thinking about what to do to get Luigi out from Falcon's castle safely, without causing any more trouble.

No one in the group realizes, however, that someone hidden between the trees is coming for them.

* * *

"!"

A twig is accidentally snapped because of a misstep, alerting Samus's group. The person who approaches them reveals himself to be a young teen with yellow hair, large square glasses, green jacket and trousers, black bow tie, white shirt underneath the jacket, and brown shoes. He's holding some sort of trophy, as indicated by its round base with the familiar "+"-shaped engraving. The trophy depicts some sort of badge, which is yellowish-gold on the most part and white on its inner circle on the center where it also has a blue lightning bolt painted on it.

"I'm sorry. Please don't attack me. I mean no harm." the boy spoke.

Noticing the trophy he is carrying, Popo gets to be the first from the group to talk back. "It's alright. We were simply surprised. By the way, is that a trophy that you're holding?"

"...This? Yes, it is. I noticed that you happen to have one in your possession. That Super Mushroom one, I mean. That's why I'm coming here." the boy points to the trophy held by Samus.

"I see, so you know about trophies just as much as, well, some of us..." Popo briefly looks at his allies.

"That makes things easier for me... because I want to help you." the boy said.

"What? Really?!" Popo is surprised.

"You see, there's something more about these trophies beyond what they look like and their rarity. Also, I think the woman over there seems to have an important task to do."

Upon hearing the word "task", Samus immediately replies, "The task for me is to rescue my trustworthy ally from the hands of the ruthless Falcon. We, in fact, managed to get into his castle, but... we didn't take him with us..."

"I'll help you with that too." the boy said back to Samus.

"Huh?"

"What happened there was a mere mistake. I'm sure that if more of us are involved, we can help you rescue your ally easier."

"You're just a kid. I don't think I can get anymore help after that blue parka kid..."

"HEY!" Popo shouted in annoyance.

"No need to worry." the boy assures her. "I'm armed. It's a mere freeze ray, but I think that's enough." he shows Samus his weapon, which looks like a typical sci-fi laser gun.

Samus still does not seem to be really convinced, but she just accepts, considering that she really and truly needs more people to help her.

Popo, upon realizing something else he had in mind, begins questioning the boy again. "Oh. About the trophies, um... what's your name?"

"Oops... Sorry for not introducing myself earlier on. I'm Jeff." the boy finally introduces himself.

"Alright, Jeff. About the trophies... we're trying to learn about the trophies' secret. However, the only clue for me is the symbol engraved on their bases. They're similar to the ones in Smash Tower. Other than that and the fact that our trophy can expose memories, I have no idea."

Jeff then sits on a log, next to Popo, and says, "They actually do have a secret. It's obvious that it's not uncovered by common people, but listen to this."

Samus, Popo, Link and Marth focus on Jeff while staying silent, wanting to hear his explanation.

"Long time ago, when our world, or rather, dimension, was created, the very first building to stand on this dimension's grounds is what the parka boy..."

"That's Popo. Sorry. I also forgot to introduce myself and the others. This woman here is Samus, this hylian is Link, and the blue-haired man over there is Marth." Popo suddenly said.

"Oh. Okay then. Alright, back to my explanation. The very first building to stand on this dimension's grounds is the Smash Tower, which Popo mentioned before. The tower is actually powered by its many trophies inside to stay standing. The tower's purpose? It's basically the heart of this dimension. If it's destroyed, all life in this dimension will be lost. Now, in the present day, have you all noticed about the colored meteorites that rain down our world?"

"The colored meteorites!" Samus exclaimed. "I've seen those before. I decided to research on them by myself until the whole incident involving my ally, Luigi, and our enemy right now, Falcon. If my memory serves right, I believe I've seen a quite large red meteorite and smaller blue ones, which are probably a result of the original meteorite being broken down. Speaking of colors, they also leak some sort of liquid substance."

"Huh. I thought that no one ever pays attention to that anymore."

"What makes you think about that, Jeff? To be honest, I've never seen such meteorite." Popo asked.

"...No one can figure out where the colored meteorites came from. Not even the more experienced scientists can figure that out. They all gave up and decided to shrug everything off as if they're ordinary meteorites. But consider this. From my recent observations, I've seen more meteors than usual. Sure not many of them, um, "survive" as a solid meteorite, just like regular meteors. However, I've seen one meteorite, colored yellow, managed to land somewhere around my observation spot, and its leaking liquid transformed into... something."

"What is it?!" Marth asked.

"Words can't describe what kind of abomination I saw. I think it has some sort of beak, so it's bird-like. But their entire body merely consists of that liquid substance, so they can morph into pretty much almost anything. The yellow one that I saw? After it morphed into whatever blob monster with beak it was, it managed to instantly escape my line of sight by zipping away quickly. I didn't even get to see it actually move an inch. It simply disappeared, like it warped, but a yellow trail remained on its path, meaning that it indeed dashed away, but in such speed that I couldn't see it."

"The liquid... it's sentient..." Samus thought.

"But what does that have anything to do with Smash Tower and these trophies?" Popo asked.

"And this is where I'm going to explain why. Since such abomination shouldn't even exist in this dimension, I have one possible reason. Our world is being invaded by beings from another dimension. Smash Tower by itself can't repel these beings, since it's usually near-impossible for those beings to show up. And that's where these backup trophies are needed."

"Huh?! These trophies are mere backups?!" Popo is surprised, and so is everyone else.

"Correct. According to the ancient text engraved inside the tower, those trophies are hidden and guarded by spirits until the time has come for them to be used to get rid of the abominations. Also, only the chosen ones are worthy of helping the tower, otherwise the unworthy ones will die when they enter the tower's secret chamber. And apparently, I'm one of the chosen. Samus, too."

"But I thought this trophy more or less belongs to Luigi..." Samus looks at the Super Mushroom trophy.

"Oh, really? So that explains why you're really desperate on rescuing him."

Samus simply nods.

"Anyway, from what I know, there are more of these trophies. We have to find the others as quickly as possible, starting from that Luigi guy." Jeff said.

As the discussion goes on, Link simply does not comment on anything, as usual. However, he begins to notice that his feet begin to look slightly hazy and fade into and from nothingness a few times, as if he is going to disappear.


	5. Give Up

"CRASH!"

There is a sudden noise. A metallic claw-like machinery crashes through the forest, toppling down trees as it goes through, until it stops, just near the spot where Samus's group is gathering.

Link, who was feeling uneasy about himself before, promptly gets up and looks behind him as soon as the noises stop. The others also stop what they are doing and look at Link's direction, anticipating something.

Suddenly, the claw shows itself once again, and, in an instant, manages to grab Samus and take her away very quickly.

"SAMUS!" Marth shouted.

"Not again!" Popo said.

Link, meanwhile, picks up Samus's dropped trophy. Then, he runs to the direction where the claw took Samus.

"We can't just stand here and do nothing! Let's follow Link!" Jeff exclaimed.

* * *

...

....

.....

"Where am I now...?"

Samus opens her eyes to see that she has been lying on a bed in a large fancy-looking room. Its walls look as if they are made of gold. There are colorful ribbon decorations on the upper part of said walls. The windows there are very large. Well-carved furniture pretty much amp up the fancy vibe of the room.

Suddenly, the door opens. A short creature with spiky blond hair, pointy ears, a mostly blue color scheme and wearing white gloves shows up.

"Haha! Finally woke up, eh, my soon-to-be-companion?"

Samus is left speechless when she gets up to see the creature. She has no idea what's happening.

"I'm not your usual Knuckle Joe. I'm Prince Joe, or, actually, soon-to-be-King Joe! Or even better, Lord Joe!" the prince introduces himself. His egoistic trait is already as expected, though Samus is still clueless about the situation.

"You're the woman of my dreams... I just want you to rule alongside me, like a king and queen!" Prince Joe tells her.

Thinking about the implications, the disgusted Samus can only say, "That sounds sick and wrong! You must be one of Falcon's minions! Where's Luigi?!"

Confused, Prince Joe says, "Oh, come on. I'm trying to be nice. Also... Falcon? ...Luigi? Who are those people?"

Samus is then left speechless once again upon realizing what she has gotten herself into. While the room she is in implies that she is inside a castle, the overall vibe actually feels different compared to Falcon's castle.

Prince Joe then speaks again. "Hmph. I'm going to assume that those two are considered special to you, hm?"

"NO! There's no way Falcon is considered my special ally or anything like that! Luigi on the other hand... he's my better companion. A friend. Not to the extent of being really that 'special', but he had opened up my mind to more of my surroundings..." Samus said.

"Well, then. Luigi's your special guy, it seems. Say... how about if you just forget about him and help me rule this little kingdom instead? We can also help each other expand our territory and conquer other places! That's what friends are for!"

"Grr... You... filth! That's it! I'm walking out of here!" Samus gets out of the bed and tries to walk through the door, but Prince Joe immediately blocks her way.

"You can't mess with me. My dream predicted your arrival. You're fated to stay with me forever!" Prince Joe slams his fist into the wall, which managed to crack it and leave a dent. This creature possesses more power despite his small size. Because of this, Samus has to think twice before she can get any chance of successfully running away from Prince Joe's castle. She does not want to end up with more injuries.

"What am I going to do...?" Samus thought.

In the infirmary, Ana can only cry as she actually failed to save Meowth. The cat Pokémon actually succumbed to an undetected disease that was too late to be recovered from, made even worse by being forced to collect money even when it was horribly tired. Lyn then shows up in the room, but she can not say anything because she does not want to make matters worse.

However, she does have one thing to say. "...Ana. At least the poor Meowth is free from all of this. I believe its spirit is actually really happy. Not to worry, Ana. Now..."

Suddenly, a commotion happens, alerting Lyn. So, she can only command other Pokémon to prepare Meowth's final resting place while she investigates the ruckus.

Soon enough, Link and his allies are rushing through the castle's hall while being chased by the castle guards. Noticing the intruders, Lyn immediately unsheathes her sword and prepares to attack. Because of this, the group has no choice but stop on their tracks with no way to go anywhere else.

"Assistant Lyn! Great to see you there! Now what should we do to these intruders?!" one of the guards spoke.

Lyn simply glares at the group for a little while, then asks them, "What are you doing in my lord's castle? Answer me!"

"We're here for our kidnapped ally!" Marth said.

"We were told that the weird claw contraption thingy that was used to capture our ally, Samus, came from this castle. And that's why we're here!" Popo explained.

"I have a feeling that this castle isn't friendly at all, so we decided to simply rush through." Jeff said.

"...Your ally? Isn't she that woman that my lord had been dreaming recently...?" Lyn continues asking.

"Probably, yes." Popo replied.

"My lord has been having such weird thoughts these days. However, you can't take her back. If anything goes against my lord's wish, pain and suffering will be applied to you."

"Hey! We really need her! She's already a part of us! Taking her away will make our missions difficult!"

"...I'm sorry. But even if you desperately need her, I still can't allow you. Allowing you to take her back pretty much equals me betraying him. And I would suffer from a cruel and unusual punishment. All of you would suffer worse."

"Lyn..." another voice is heard. It's Ana's.

"Huh? Ana?" Lyn looks back to see the still teary-eyed ninja girl.

"Please let them through."

"Are you kidding me?! Our lord won't be happy if we do this!"

"So, um... any solutions yet?" one of the guards asked.

"No, not yet. Wait a minute." Lyn replied, then she looks back at Ana.

"Listen, Ana, what made you think about doing that?"

"You know what? I think I'd rather be like that Meowth! This is no longer fun anymore! I've heard your talk. I've heard their talk. And now, I can't help but want to stop serving him anymore. Yes, I've kept my thoughts for a long time, but now I cannot take it anymore. So, please, let them through and see their friend! I don't care what will happen to me! At least, I just don't want my life any more difficult!"

"Ana..."

"Who's that girl...?" Popo asked.

Lyn replies, "This is Ana. Along with myself, we are our lord's assistants, and thus we're not allowed to betray him in one way or another. But the thing is... she's just a little girl... And the death of a Pokémon right in front of her eyes for the first time had exposed her further into the harshness of her current life..."

"But now that she's actually, um, for the lack of a better word, rebelling against whoever's ruling this kingdom, wouldn't that make her your enemy too?" Marth asked.

Lyn thinks about Marth's question for a while. Ana, however, already can't stand the whole issue. She dashes to the group and pulls Popo away, surprising everyone else.

"Ana!" Lyn exclaimed.

"I don't care! I'm helping you guys out! Come follow me! And Lyn... don't you even try to stop me!" Ana runs away while carrying Popo along. And so, Lyn can only stand still while the rest of Popo's group run past her, prompting a guard to ask her, "She has betrayed us now, and the intruders are getting away. What are we going to do, assistant Lyn?"

There is no answer.

* * *

Ana is still dragging along Popo through Prince Joe's castle's many halls, all the while they're being followed by the rest of Popo's group. Occasionally, the young ninja girl stops on her tracks to let the others catch up and Popo to rest briefly. This goes on for several minutes.

Until, that is, they have finally arrived at the door leading to a bedroom. Ana quickly opens the door, not caring what consequences she will have to face later on. The opened door reveals Prince Joe standing by the huge bed, holding a jar, while Samus is in a deep sleep.

Surprised, Prince Joe asks, "...You. What are you doing HERE?! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE! Also, why are you bringing a group of unwanted guests?!"

"Hmph. I knew that this so-called 'off-limits' bedroom actually has some use." Ana commented.

"What did you do to Samus?!" Marth asked.

"Good question, peasant. I've splashed her with my sleepiness potion! That's my one effective way of restraining her until she finally complies once she wakes up. I can't leave her with brutal injuries anyway." Prince Joe replied.

"Comply to what?" Popo asked.

"Being my ruling companion, of course! I've dreamed of her for quite a long time, and it's about time that she has finally come closer to my territory!"

"NO!" Ana screamed.

"*gasp* You, Ana... Did you just...?"

"Stop it with your selfishness!"

"So... you dare betray me, then? Being my enemy now, huh? You know what this means for someone like you..."

"I don't care! I don't want to live here anymore! I wish to return to my sister... with no more of your people following me! These people with me... might end up like my sister, always missing me... while I have to work for you!"

"This ninja girl is right. Also, we're in a mission to wipe out chaotic abominations. Please, give Samus back to us." Jeff said.

"Blah, blah, blah... You're all talk, as if you all underestimate what I'm capable of! Have a taste of my Smash Punch! Starting with you, Ana!" Prince Joe launches himself forward to strike her. Fortunately, Link hops in front of the group and blocks Joe's punch with his shield, causing the impact on it to send Joe launched backwards. Afterwards, Link tells everyone else behind him to get out of the room. He then reaches to his pocket to pick up a smoke ball.

"Grr... How dare you interrupt my show of power..." Prince Joe angrily said.

Suddenly, Link throws the smoke ball, quickly covering the room with smoke, which explains Link's command to the others earlier. In the middle of the confusion, Link managed to get close to the bed and pick up the still-sleeping Samus. After that, he walks out, leaving only the still-confused Prince Joe.

Outside, Ana asks Link, "How did you do that?! I'm not even good at such thing..."

As Link prefers to stay silent, Popo says, "Link is just that good, haha!"

"Looks like Link has done it again! However, everyone, we have to get out of here as quickly as we can!" Marth said.

Everyone nods. Then, they all run.

After a few minutes of running through those castle halls once again, they finally find the exit. However, Lyn and the castle guards show up, blocking the gate.

"Lyn!" Ana exclaimed.

Lyn doesn't say anything.

"I'm so sorry, Lyn... But, I'm no longer considered by Prince Joe as his assistant. However, that's what I wanted since Meowth's death made me realize the horrible fate I'd end up if I stay here..."

Lyn then walks closer to Ana, then tells her, "Ana... I also consider myself quitting."

This obviously surprises the guards, as it definitely came out of nowhere.

Without any hesitation, Link immediately throws a couple of smoke balls, then promptly dashes towards the surprised guards. The others also follow suit. However, at an intersection not far from the castle, Ana and Lyn decide to go their separate ways, neither joining the group nor staying with each other together as a duo.

Meanwhile, the group is still running through the village, trying to get out. They do not realize that they are not followed by Ana and Lyn anymore until they have finally made it back to the snowy forest.

"Wait. Where are those two?" Marth questioned.

"Ana and Lyn, you mean? I have no idea!" Popo said.

"I have a feeling that they're left behind and are more likely to be captured by the guards..." Jeff said.

"Are you sure about that?!"

"But... on the other hand, they might be running somewhere else and didn't stick with us, so there's still hope that they'll be safe."

"Hope it's the latter..."

Suddenly, the group finds a piece of paper.

* * *

...

....

.....

Samus wakes up, revealing that she has been sleeping on grass. In fact, she is now at a wide, green grassy field with lots of white flowers growing on it. The sky is clear and the bright sun is showering her with warmness. It is something that she has missed for quite a while after being on a snowy region for a long time.

Suddenly, sounds of a horse walking are heard. She turns to the noise's source to see a white horse. Wait, no. It has a horn. It is a unicorn! Not just that, Luigi is riding it, and he behaves like his usual self, being a nice guy as usual. Samus, despite rarely showing more of her emotions, is absolutely delighted to see her friend coming back without a scratch. He offers her to ride the unicorn together, which she agrees, despite the weirdness factor. The plumber in green then commands his horned steed to leap off a nearby cliff. Samus's brief smile suddenly fades as she is confused at what Luigi intends to do.

Obeying Luigi's order, the unicorn begins to gallop to the edge of a cliff. As it nears the cliff's edge, Samus can only close her eyes. Surprisingly, it transforms into a really huge swan, which allows them to fly through the sky. Samus, after opening her eyes, can only stare in awe while Luigi laughs happily.

After the short ride, the swan drops them on another grassy field, only this time the grass is purple. They then proceed to enter a forest whose trees are always dancing, bouncing left and right. There, Luigi shows her his... other friends, which consist of a couple of Chikorita, the Leaf Pokémon. They also happen to offer the two some tea. Luigi immediately gets a cup of the drink, while Samus seems to be quite hesitant at first, but she's given a cup by Luigi anyway.

However, before she can even drink the tea, one of the Chikorita has its back stabbed by a knife, which proceeds to slice its insides a few times. From Samus's point of view, this is worse, as the disembodied hand holding the knife looks familiar, a blue arm with a yellow glove. Meanwhile, a huge Bob-omb shows up and manages to disintegrate Luigi into nothingness by merely staring at him. Realizing that something is definitely wrong, Samus runs out of the forest to get some help, only to get captured by a lasso. The rest of the rope wraps around her and ties her up, making her unable to move. After that, two familiar faces show up: Mario and Donkey Kong. Behind the duo is what she has anticipated the most, Captain Falcon.

"I say... you have a very close bond to him... However, what if your so-called friend is like me, heh?"

Falcon then transforms into Mr. L, Luigi's other form that Samus had bad memories about. Mr. L then says, "I always love you, Samus..."

* * *

Samus then wakes up.

Apparently, it was yet another dream, but it is worse due to it being a nightmare. When she looks around, she realizes that she is inside Marth's ship once again.

Suddenly, Popo comes in, and, noticing that she has woken up, promptly tells her about what happened.

"Miss Samus! I'm so glad that you've finally woken up!"

Samus does not say anything. She is still confused at her current condition.

"You look so down..."

Again, she does not say anything.

"Then I think you might not like what I'm going to say."

After yet another brief silence from the two, Popo begins talking.

"About what happened... after we got you out of the castle, we thought that we can take two new allies with us, but that wasn't the case. We can only hope that they're still safe and sound. After all that trouble, we found a letter." Popo shows Samus the letter that the group found after the escape. The letter reads:

_IMPORTANT NOTICE_

_The game of chase shall begin shortly, but here's the catch. At the same time, you also have to try to find where my prisoner Luigi is, as we've teleported him to one specific place. Otherwise, all your efforts will be for naught and we'll still endlessly chase you down anyway. Thus, your life is meaningless from now on._

_It's a lose-lose situation for you, because Mario and Donkey Kong are the ones who will decide when Luigi's time is up, which can possibly happen instantly after I had my henchman sent this letter to your location, and because if you fail, you'll either suffer or become part of my army, something that you all might not like at all._

_Sincerely,_

_Captain Falcon_

Samus can only stare in shock after reading the entirety of the letter.

"I'm sorry, Samus, but that's what we're going up against now. It's either staying alive or... suffering. And that's why we're using Marth's ship again, to travel around the world to find Luigi. Well... at least this opens up more possibilities of finding more trophy holders. I thought that we would never find this ship anymore, but luckily Marth's, um, fairy companion found us. It managed to rebuild a new ship somehow. I feel bad for that thing, especially when Marth admitted that it used up almost all of its power." Popo explained.

Samus is still depressed.

"Samus... I know it's harsh, but we have no other choice. We have to do what we can do best. I believe that Luigi is still alright. I'm sure of it."

* * *

It has been a long trip. Day changes to night. Night changes to day. Marth's ship has been sailing through the seas without stopping, in fear that Falcon's army will catch up to them. Even despite the loss of one of his hands, he can still control his ship properly with only his left hand. The sailing ship keeps going, until one night Marth decides to stop somewhere, preferably a wide continent. He spots a wide land in the horizon, prompting him to go there, though not before he announces to every passenger present that they'll be arriving at that land soon.

Once the ship stops by the sandy terrain, everyone on board gets off the ship. After checking that everyone and the trophies are present, Marth whispers to his fairy companion, telling it to do something. The ball of light then floats near the ship. It proceeds to glow more intensely, causing everyone watching it to shield their eyes. The wooden ship then explodes, but it somehow doesn't leave any remnants. Unfortunately, the light itself managed to destroy itself as well.

"What did you just do, Marth?" Popo asked.

"I told my fairy companion to destroy it without leaving any traces, even though it also involves a sacrifice. I thought the reason should be obvious enough for you."

"So, basically, you don't want to make Falcon's search for us easier. But what about the blinding light earlier? Wouldn't that be noticeable to Falcon as well? It's even easier to see, too, seeing that it's night time..." Jeff said.

"Not to worry. I'm sure that Falcon is still too far away to notice us. Even if he does, we can only run anyway. Look." Marth looks back to see the lush forest that covers most of the land.

"Well... we have no choice but to go there, then."

Meanwhile, Link pats the depressed Samus's shoulder, trying to assure her that everything will be alright.

And so, the group walks into the forest.

As they walk through the forest, the only things that they are accompanied with are the environmental noises: cricket noises, the hoots of an owl, among others. After a couple of hours of walking, the group has gotten to the more open part of the forest, where they can see the clear sky sprinkled with the shining stars. A moon is also visible, and it is currently a full moon at that. Tall mountains covered in snow are also visible from their location as well. It is quite a breathtaking view for the group. Also, considering that they are now tired, they decide to rest at that spot, allowing them to enjoy the view longer. However, since they do not bring any kind of camping equipment, they can only make use of what the nature can provide. They can only gather fruits and seeds for feast, and if one wants to sleep, they can only make use of the fallen leaves.

Later that night, everyone is fully asleep, except for Samus, who is still holding the Super Mushroom trophy. She is reminiscing her times with Luigi, her first and true ally after her long, mostly-isolated life. She remembers his smiles, which somehow managed to break her lonely atmosphere. However, there is one notable memory that she has not realized until now.

The plumber in green once took a look at her only photograph, which simply depicts a portrait of her on a blue background. He then asked her why that photo being her only preserved memory from the past. That time, she only said nothing. Worried that he would anger her, Luigi then simply commented that she does not seem to like having her photo taken.

The truth is that it was taken as a congratulatory photo after her one notable feat as a bounty hunter back then, shortly before she quitted due to her wanting to focus more on research, in addition to isolate herself from the rest of the world even more. It is probably the reason why Samus did not tell him the truth. She did not want to be associated with her former job anymore, as well as people in general. But for the latter, she has realized that she had managed to befriend people from various places. Though not much, Samus herself is baffled that her long journey has given her more people to interact with. Her allies and even her enemies have made her open her mind to her surroundings.

"Very close bond..." Samus quoted what Falcon said in her previous dream.

"Was that the effect of my friendship with Luigi? I never understand it, but somehow I'm convinced that such bond, in turn, allowed me to open up to more of this world than ever. What a feeling..." Samus thought.

"However... I never get a chance to say thanks to him. He made me realize that I still need others... But, what if what Falcon said in my dream was true? What if that Luigi that I knew is an evil being sealed inside his kindness...? I still trust him... I think... I don't know which one is right anymore..."

A couple of hours have passed. Samus is now sleeping like everyone else in the group. Apart from the usual environmental noises, nothing else is disturbing their slumber...

...except for a certain someone.

And his own cohorts.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside a cave in an unknown location, the plumber-gorilla duo Mario and Donkey Kong are simply doing their job, guarding the completely helpless and tied up Luigi. Mario himself has been staring at Zelda's scythe for quite a while, and he even occasionally looks back at Luigi, as if he can use the scythe to finish off his own brother. Donkey Kong is the one watching out for any trespassers, while poor Luigi appears to be asleep.

Suddenly, a drop of water from a stalactite falls right on Luigi, causing him to wake up. Realizing his situation that time, he begins to speak up.

"Brother... Is that what you're going for? After all this time... you wanted to end me..."

Mario's only response is simply a frown. He also appears to hold his scythe more firmly. Donkey Kong, meanwhile, simply does not care.

"...I see. So that's what you chose, huh..." Luigi said in a sad tone.

Mario then turns around to look at Luigi. Donkey Kong does the same. The plumber in red then walks closer to him. He places the sharp end of the scythe near his taller brother's neck, ready to kill him off.

In the middle of swinging up his scythe, however, Luigi closes his eyes while saying, "I'm... missing someone..."

Somehow, this makes Mario pause, keeping his scythe above his head. Apparently, what Luigi said reminds him of Zelda a little bit, someone that he and Donkey Kong happened to lose due to the war. Regardless of context, it managed to delay Luigi's death for quite some time.

Mario then questions him, "Are you missing that woman that you met in that forest back then?"

Luigi opens his eyes briefly and simply nods, then he closes his eyes again to prepare for his death. After a while, however, he is still alive and breathing. Mario has dropped the scythe on the rocky ground, feeling slightly down. Even Donkey Kong is confused about all this.

"What's wrong...? Aren't you going to behead me or something?" Luigi softly asked his brother.

"I really envy you now, Luigi."

"Huh?"

"In the middle of this entire crisis, you managed to make a new friend. Meanwhile, Donkey Kong and I still haven't gotten over Princess Zelda's death, which happened a long time ago..."

"Zelda?"

"Look, Luigi. Five years ago, you were forced into an army. I couldn't understand why it had to be you, but anyway... after our separation, Donkey Kong and I could only try to survive on our own after we were forced to leave the area we were in. It was until Princess Zelda recruited us to her castle some time later, and thus giving us a new home. She then took part on the war... but later on... she didn't come back. Anymore."

"She really sounds like a nice person to live with..."

"Indeed."

"...I feel bad for you..."

"I'm so sick of what this world has become, so I just have to resort to do anything until I finally die. This world is completely meaningless."

"But Mario..."

"Even after we've decided to work for Falcon, I just do it just because I don't care about anything anymore."

"Mario..."

"What now?!"

"You just acknowledged me having made a new pal, but... you can just do the same as well. I know that whatever happened before seemed harsh. Even I happened to lose my two close allies prior to meeting her. At least, there's still hope. All is not lost yet, brother."

"Hrm..."

"I also don't like the ongoing crisis right now, but we have to end it. I can't take it anymore as well. This can't go on forever!"

Mario can only stay silent. Even when Donkey Kong pokes his shoulder to question him, he will not answer.

"...However, it seems that you still only do whatever things you want. And that includes killing me. That's alright. I can accept that as well."

"No, Luigi. You're right. I once had a thought about trying to stop the crisis. In other words... I promised to Zelda back then. Wh-Why did I quickly abandon that promise...?" Mario covers his eyes, crying. Meanwhile, Donkey Kong pats the red plumber's shoulder lightly to try to calm him down.

"Mario..."

"That's it. I'm holding to my promise firmly now. I really HAVE to stop whatever's causing this crisis starting from now!"

Luigi smiles a bit. He is glad that his brother finally snaps out of it.

"Luigi, I might as well need your help. Donkey Kong, untie him!"

The gorilla is confused at first about this sudden change, but he obeys the red plumber anyway. He releases Luigi from the ropes, allowing the latter to finally stand up easily.

Mario then says to Luigi, "Let's work together as brothers." Then the two shake hands.

"To begin with..." Mario takes out his trophy from his coat's pocket. "Apparently, this trophy can pinpoint the location of someone that we want to look for. It's an unusual object, I gotta say."

"That trophy thing... that reminds me of the one found by Samus."

"Hm... Maybe she knows more than we do right now. Let's find that Samus person."

And so, the trophy glows and generates a trail of light that only Mario and Donkey Kong can see.

"What's going on? It just glows..." Luigi asked.

"You might not see it, but this trophy creates a trail of light that can direct us to where Samus is. All you have to do is simply follow us." Mario replied.

The three then run, following the trail.

* * *

Later that night, Samus feels as if she is lying down on cold hard ground. She also can not seem to move freely. It is only when she opens her eyes that she realizes that she has been kidnapped once again. She is completely tied up, which explains her being unable to move. As for lying on the cold hard ground, she is actually inside a murky, all-gray prison cell. The only light source in that place is the dim lights on the corridor.

"What's going on now?!"

Suddenly, a short figure shows up in front of her prison's bars. The darkness makes her hard to see, but the silhouette looks familiar. Upon a closer look, Samus can only gasp when she discovers her kidnapper.

It is that Knuckle Joe again.

"Hi there, my pretty. Seeing you helpless is just lovely." the spiky-haired creature greeted her.

"Not you..." Samus said.

"Still not happy to see me, it seems. Anyway, welcome to my dungeon complex. Just when you thought that I'm only good at power, I'm actually known for my wide underground dungeons that even span through a continent or two! And thus, it's really tricky for you to get out..."

Samus can only angrily stare at him.

"Anyway, I have a backup plan just so you can finally obey me. And no one, I repeat, NO ONE can stop me! All of your friends aren't nearby. Remember when I said that this part of my underground dungeon complex! I'm the only one who knows everything about this place, because I'm the one who designed it! Anyway, I'll be right back. Just be patient..." Prince Joe walks away, leaving Samus completely alone.

Now, Mario, Donkey Kong and Luigi are still running through the forest until Mario suddenly notices that the glowing trail points to the ground. Specifically, it points to a cluster of stones.

"Huh? Underground? Might as well try digging through." Mario said.

Donkey Kong, without any hesitation, begins digging, only to suddenly sink into the hole. The brothers then discover that the gorilla had managed to break through some sort of door, and the hole is an entrance. And so, the two plumbers go down as well.

Once arrived at the dungeon complex, the brothers help Donkey Kong get up. After that, Mario looks around until he finds the rest of the glowing trail, which points to one of the identical-looking corridors. He then asks the two to follow him through that way.

Back at Samus's cell, Prince Joe has come back with a metallic helmet with an antenna on it.

"Ta-da! Say hello to my mind control helmet! With this, you can no longer leave my side anymore!"

"No..."

"Now where's the key... Aha!" Prince Joe grabs a prison key from his pocket. He then proceeds to unlock Samus's cell, only to have his helmet stolen by a lasso. Shocked, he begins to panic, while another lasso takes away his key.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Prince Joe then rushes to the direction where the lassos came from. Unfortunately for him, he ends up getting beaten up by the unexpected trio.

After that, silence. A sudden one at that. Then, a worried Mario shows up in front of Samus's cell and promptly commands Donkey Kong to untie her. Samus is confused at the duo apparently helping her out despite being associated with Falcon from her view, but she thanks them anyway and tells them that the others are still in the dungeon. Mario then asks Donkey Kong to escort Samus back to the surface by backtracking through the same path they went when looking for her. During their escape, Samus discovers that Prince Joe is horribly bruised and probably will not notice her escaping. However, Luigi is nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, Mario whispers to his trophy, wishing that he can find Samus's allies. The trail of light then points him to the direction opposite of where Donkey Kong and Samus went.

After a long time running through the many corridors, Mario begins to get tired. However, just when he is about to rest, the glowing trail points to a prison cell. Link is inside. Trusting his trophy, he unlocks Link's cell using the key that he stole and unties him. Link is just as surprised as Samus, then he notices the trophy that Mario is carrying. However, Mario has no time to talk to him and has to make haste, so Link can only follow Mario to continue on.

Suddenly, a muscular figure appears. It is Falcon, of all people.

Noticing that the situation is turning worse, Mario, without any hesitation, gives his trophy to Link.

"Well, well, well... I'm surprised that you of all people decided to betray me... And, Link, the Master of Trophies, this has been a long time since I've seen you last time. Isn't this a surprise? You're still against me, as usual. And what do I see here? That one rare trophy I thought I'd never actually seen it physically. Now, this should be the end of all your efforts!" Falcon prepares to grab Mario.

Realizing that Link might be capable of seeing the glowing trail, Mario shouts, "Trophy! Show the exit! ACK!"

The plumber's neck is held by Falcon, choking him. Being unable to fight due to losing his weapons after ended up in the dungeon, Link has no choice but to run away. Falcon is way too tough if he is fought empty-handedly.

"Heheh. Thanks to the newly discovered teleportation technology, now I can make this game of chase end much earlier than I thought. But first things first, I have to deal with you and your gorilla friend." Falcon said to Mario.

On Falcon's left wrist is a bracelet with a single button on it. Before Falcon uses it, he slams Mario to the ground and keeps the latter in place with his foot. He then pushes the button on the bracelet, enveloping both of them in a ball of light and making them disappear, teleporting both of them back to Falcon's place.

Back on the surface, Samus is looking at the hole, waiting for the others to come out, while Donkey Kong is further behind her, looking out for any potential dangers. Suddenly, Falcon shows up behind the ape and uses both of his hands to strangle the latter, while at the same time teleporting away quickly thanks to how he is placing his left wrist on the gorilla's neck, which is enough to hit the button on his bracelet. So, when Samus heard Donkey Kong's noises, it was already too late for her to notice him and Falcon as they have disappeared.

After a while, Samus then looks back to see Link who has just climbed out of the hole. He then reaches to his pocket and shows Samus the Smash Ball trophy, which is the one that belongs to Mario and Donkey Kong, meaning that they've encountered yet another trophy and its owners. However, when Samus questions Link about the others, he merely shakes his head. He does not know where the others are, and with the sudden appearance of Falcon in the underground dungeon, he is now unsure whether to go down there again or not, even with the help of the trophy to show him the way.

Samus, disappointed, then looks back to where Donkey Kong vanished. She looks at the ground to find yet another letter.

_IMPORTANT NOTICE_

_I decided to spice things up by using teleportation technology, so the chasing game can end much sooner, heh heh. However, there's a problem that I have to take care of, so consider yourself, the survivors, lucky. Unfortunately for you, I've managed to teleport myself and took the ones who didn't make it. Sooner or later, once the problem has been resolved, the game shall continue, and I shall win!_

_Sincerely,_

_Captain Falcon_


	6. Reunited

The sun is rising, marking a new bright day for Samus and Link. They do not know where they actually are after the sudden kidnapping, but they have to think about the next course of action fast before Falcon suddenly warps to their place. Link looks at Mario's Smash Ball trophy and begins concentrating.

"What are we going to do now, Link? Go to Falcon's place? The letter implies that the others might be kept there... but there are only two of us here. I'm not sure if we can do it."

Suddenly, the trophy glows and generates a new trail of light that can only be seen by Link. With that, Link asks Samus to follow him. She doesn't understand why Link goes to that way, but she agrees to follow him anyway.

* * *

At Falcon's castle, the captain is standing in front of a large door, which opens.

"Heheheh... I finally did it. I managed to fully awaken the dark side of him. And now, he can only obey my orders."

Someone steps out between the open doors. It is Luigi. Wait, no, it is his other form, Mr. L. However, he now dons a dark blue beret with a yellow badge on it, a dark blue cape with yellow edges, a blue jumpsuit instead of the black one, and yellow boots similar to Falcon's. He still keeps his mask, bandanna and gloves. In addition to that, he now equips a bowie knife as his main weapon.

"Welcome to my army, Lieutenant L." Falcon gives a salute.

Mr. L salutes back.

* * *

After a long walk, Samus and Link have arrived in the middle of a desert. The morning sun is getting more intense, causing the two to begin sweating.

"A-Are you sure this is the way...?" Samus weakly asked.

Link only nods in response. He still puts his trust on the Smash Ball trophy to lead their way to Falcon's place.

Hundreds of meters have passed since then, and the two now begin to feel exhausted. However, Link is still sure that this is the better path to be taken. Samus begins to lag behind the hylian, causing him to walk back and hold her hand to keep her from being separated.

"At this point... I'm not even sure if what we're doing is right..." Samus said.

However, Link keeps pressing on, and soon enough, they find the coastline. From Link's point of view, the glowing trail points to the sea, meaning that they have to cross it, but there is no way of transportation and the lack of trees makes them unable to build a raft.

"It's the sea... there's nothing else."

However, Link shakes his head. He still trusts his trophy.

"Wait, you mean, we have to cross the sea...?"

The hylian nods.

"There's no way..." Samus is on the verge of collapsing.

Link keeps looking around for a way to continue their journey, but Samus is right. There is nothing to help them. The long trek through the barren sandy region is all for naught. Can not blame him for that, as they can not anticipate a faraway obstacle. And a big one, at that.

Suddenly, the trophy glows more intensely, as if signaling to whoever can see it. Despite during the bright daylight, apparently it managed to grab attention of something.

After briefly shielding his eyes from the light, Link looks to the far horizon to discover something swimming towards them. It looks like an orca, albeit it is blue in color. Once it is close enough to the duo, Link now recognizes what creature that is.

It is a legendary Pokémon called Kyogre, usually only known for resting deep under the ocean for centuries. The trophy is indeed still helping them find their way to their destination by awakening Kyogre. Shortly after the orca-like monster arrives near the shore, dark clouds begin to form, covering the mostly clear sky and thus providing a temporary shelter for the two until the Pokémon completely does its purpose.

Link walks on Kyogre's wide fin then jumps on its back. The weakened Samus can only reach out her hand so that Link can help her climb. However, since Link can not reach her either, Kyogre lifts up its fin where Samus stands on to launch her right on its back. Once both are seated on the Pokémon's back, Kyogre begins to leave the barren land. At the same time, rain begins to pour down.

Back at Falcon's castle, Falcon is watching Lieutenant L performing his killing skills at the open yard. He managed to throw his bowie knife right at a small bird dummy thrown from behind him, camouflage himself to blend with the wall and use that same skill to take out a human dummy from behind, set a sudden rope trap to strangle yet another dummy, and throw a grenade right at a hidden dummy. Obviously, Falcon is impressed at his skills. He feels that what he had done to poor Luigi was a success. Luigi is no longer himself anymore, but a pure murderer.

Falcon does not realize, however, that the dull gray sky turns darker due to being covered with more clouds, something that he might mistake for a normal weather change.

* * *

## FLASHBACK 01: FATHER

_Running SubjectIdentifier..._

_..._

_Now loading..._

* * *

KRRZT... KRRZT...

Bzzt... bzzt...

.

..

...

Few decades ago, there lived a little girl in a small home. She had a happy family. Her neighbors were nice to her. The little village she lived in always seemed friendly.

One day, the little girl's father decided to tell her a folk tale known in the area they are living in. A folk tale about a princess who was a toy collector.

One day, all of the princess's toys were stolen. Her parents could only assure her that they would get her new ones, but she refused because she bought the toys with her own savings, her own money. And that was a lot, because she had bought many, many toys. All of those hard-earned savings, gone.

"That sounds sad..." the little girl said.

"Indeed, it does." her father replied.

"What will she do next?"

"Let me finish the story, alright?"

The next day since then, the young princess began to be visited by her friends who were going to donate some of their own toys to her. However, she refused. Her friends just stood in front of the castle door, confused at why she would not accept her own friends' good quality toys. Suddenly, an old man came visiting, bringing a box of what appears to be many pieces of wood and cloth.

The old man said to her that she possibly considered her past toys having their own charm, what with them being bought with her own money despite her family's wealth. The man then said that it would be better if she could try her hand on making her own, thinking that it might give the same "charm" as her old toys.

At first, she had no idea what to do with the box that the man gave to her, but soon her creativity began to flow. She began borrowing tools from her parents and creating the many toys that mostly resemble her old ones, while also making new ones that she only imagined in her mind for a long time. And so, she now had focused less on collecting and more on creating new things.

"That's a nice story, dad." the little girl said happily.

"Hehe, it sure is."

"Do you think I can be like her too?"

"Listen. You can be anything you want, as long as you have the spirit like the princess in the story I've just told you. Regardless of what dream you're chasing, I'm sure you can do it, Samus..."

KRRZT... KRRZT...

Bzzt... bzzt...

Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

_Subject identified!_

_Subject #2097_

_Begin questioning subject..._

_._

_.._

_..._

_\- Name? -_

"Samus Aran."

_\- Do you believe you're not alone? -_

"Yes...

...

...

...

...and no."

KRRZT... KRRZT...

Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Krrrrrrrrrr...

Bzzt... bzzt...

## END

* * *

It is suddenly raining in the area where Falcon's castle is. However, being a freezing rain, the water droplets can potentially harm whoever is outside, causing Falcon to finally notice the harmful weather and alert every single one of his minions, including the guards. So, everyone is staying in the castle.

"The trophies... heheh. I thought that the, ehem, stray ones are just a myth, but here they are. I'm seeing them, right in front of my eyes." Falcon stares at the glass cases, each containing a trophy he managed to snag, one is the Super Mushroom trophy, while the other belongs to Jeff.

"Aren't these quite a treasure? And according to the myth, they have a hidden power of some kind. I guess that capturing you all also came with a jackpot for myself, hahaha!" Falcon said.

Meanwhile, Mario and Donkey Kong, the only ones who witnessed what Falcon said, can only sit in despair, as they are both tied up by the unbreakable chain that appears to be made of light.

"I don't know what power these two contain, but this is going to be exciting." Falcon spoke again.

Suddenly, Mario glares at Falcon and talks back. "Falcon, something isn't right in our world right now!"

"Grr..." Falcon walks towards the plumber in red, then he kicks his face, causing one of his teeth to fall out.

"I already commanded you to shut up! After I found out that you're now traitors, I can't take any single word from you!" Falcon angrily said.

Mario can only cough up the rest of the blood in his mouth. Even in that condition, he angrily glares at Falcon again.

"Now... if only I can find a way to harness whatever power these trophies contain..."

Suddenly, the rain stops. When Falcon notices this, he promptly says, "Hmph... consider my prisoners lucky this time. I knew I should've thrown them outside and let them freeze to death... but I can't. I have to find a way to brainwash them into obeying my orders."

Hearing that, the plumber-gorilla duo can only worry.

* * *

"...hrm...Huh?" Samus woke up. She managed to fall asleep during the trip due to her tiredness.

Link and Samus are currently staying in a cave shelter quite far from the continent they're going for. Kyogre actually did this for their safety, as the freezing rain near that region will end up doing more harm to those two. However, the cave there also functions as a tunnel that can take them to that continent. It will be a long walk through, but they have no other choice but to go through that cave. Meanwhile, Kyogre dives back underwater, back to its hidden area where it can rest again for another century or so. Shortly after Kyogre left them, the disturbing weather stops and clouds begin to part away, allowing sunshine to properly warm things up once again.

After the brief rest, Link gets up on his feet and asks Samus to follow him. Samus, having no other second thoughts, stands up as well and tags along.

* * *

In a dark prison cell, Popo the blue ice climber can only sit and worry about Samus and Link, who are the only ones who are yet to be captured by Falcon.

"Samus... Link... I hope you two are okay..."

"Popo." Another voice is heard. It was Marth's. He is kept in a cell next to Popo's.

"I'm sure they'll be fine."

"Yeah. I believe in them. It's up to them now." Jeff spoke as well. In fact, Popo's cell is between Marth's and Jeff's, so he can still communicate with them easily.

Suddenly, a loud ruckus is heard. Two groups of Bob-ombs are carrying the tied-up Mario and Donkey Kong on their heads. Falcon also comes along. He opens a cell across Popo's and commands the Bob-ombs to throw the plumber and the gorilla into that cell. Afterwards, Falcon closes and locks the cell then leaves the prisoners.

Noticing the new inmates, Popo begins asking, "Who...?", only to be cut off by Mario saying, "Urk... I'm Mario, and this ape here is Donkey Kong."

Everyone else is surprised. This is the first time they have met those two in person.

"Aren't you the ones who were going to kill off Luigi according to Falcon's letter?!" Marth asked.

"Supposedly, yes." Mario answered.

"But what happened? Did Falcon just trick you into doing his dirty work?" Jeff asked them as well.

"Look, you three. We were loyal to Falcon. Were. After realizing that whatever the two of us were doing weren't worth it, we decided to betray him and spare Luigi from his supposed demise. However, he ended up... way worse. Urk."

"Worse? So let me get this straight. After you realized the, um, error of your ways, you decided to side with Luigi, only to be noticed by Falcon and then you end up being here, right?" Popo said.

"Yes. He is my brother, after all."

"Brother?"

"It's a long story, but how the two of us betrayed Falcon was simply thanks to him convincing us to change. But, once again, Luigi ended up being worse... As in, he's no longer himself anymore..." Mario begins tearing up.

"You're... crying..."

"I just saw it. I really saw it. That Falcon had forcefully put him under stress and applied almost every form of physical and mental violence imaginable to him. And... Donkey Kong and I... were forced to watch..."

"...I don't think I want to stomach any of this."

"After that, he's now "reborn"... as an out-and-out murderer that can only be controlled by Falcon. Thinking about that again... it made me wish I could just follow Falcon's orders and kill him off instead of having him be like this..." Mario ends up crying, while Donkey Kong still can only look down in despair.

The other three prisoners can only sympathize with the plumber. It was such a hard way of losing one's relative, so hard that a quick death counts as a mercy kill that can possibly prevent that from happening.

Then, Marth speaks, "Mario, there's still a possibility to snap Luigi out of it. You see, we still have Samus and Link, who are our only last hopes, though we don't know where they are now..."

"Samus... and... Link? I remember those names... Samus is the one that Luigi is fond of... and as for Link, I think Falcon somehow knew him, and referred to him as the Master of Trophies or something like that. By the way, I forgot to tell you that the two of us, along with Luigi, managed to rescue Samus and Link from a certain... short brat... thing. Oh. Wait a minute..."

"What is it?"

"My trophy... I remember passing it to Link before I got taken away by Falcon! There's indeed still hope for them to find us! Not sure if they can handle the new Luigi... but at least there's some good news..."

"Alright! But... what's the significance of your trophy to all of this?" Popo asked.

"My trophy can generate a trail of light that can lead to the desired target, usually a person, from my experience. Only the holder can see it, but even then there are more restrictions to which person can do so. And when I heard what Falcon called Link as, I immediately gave my trophy to him, though he still couldn't save you on time, which is understandable because Falcon is now abusing those so-called teleportation technologies."

"No wonder..."

"However, since we can only do nothing here, we can only stay patient and hope that those two will arrive and rescue us before we end up being, urk, brainwashed."

"Are you serious?!" Jeff is surprised.

"Yes. Both of us just heard about that plan, straight from Falcon himself... It's a good thing that we're not left freezing to death outside, but still..."

* * *

In the execution chamber, a lone Hitmonlee is completely tied up, including his feet, which are known to be strong. He is tied up with the same "chain of light", which is extremely durable, and thus he cannot break easily with his feet.

Falcon and Lieutenant L then show up in the chamber.

"What a useless creature. Weak, unskilled, not worth for combat, even after a long hard training. Lieutenant L, you may commence the execution. Do what you can do best."

After saying that, Falcon leaves the chamber, leaving only Mr. L himself and the Hitmonlee. Mr. L picks up a stone with a sharp edge then uses it for the execution by destroying the poor Hitmonlee's face. After that, he uses his bowie knife to cut open the Pokémon's midsection and pulls out the latter's internal organs, starting with the intestines.

Just when Falcon is on his way back to his main room, loud noises are heard. It is the sound of his allies being taken down, as well as explosions.

"Darn it..." Falcon quickly rushes to his room.

Once he enters the room, he checks the monitors which are connected to the hidden cameras. One monitor shows Link throwing a bomb to a group of Bob-ombs, which causes a chain of explosions, while he and Samus rush to another corridor, which leads to the prison cells.

"Those two... I should've gotten my warp bracelet ready!" Falcon slams his fist to his desk in anger. He then dashes out from his room, ready to pursue Link and Samus.

In the dark prison corridor, the two finally encounter the others as well as Mario and Donkey Kong.

"Link! Samus! You're indeed alright!" Popo happily exclaimed.

"Looks like we're not wrong when we trust you to rescue us." Marth said.

"Oh, it's you two, heh." Mario said.

"Glad to see you! Come on, use the switches over there!" Jeff points to the wall at the end of the corridor, which contains a control panel used to lock and unlock prison cells.

Without any further thinking, Link rushes to said control panel and forcefully removes the glass case. Afterwards, he pushes every numbered button there, which corresponds to which prison cell. He manages to unlock all of cells, as well as releasing Mario and Donkey Kong from the chains.

"Alright! We're all free! Let's get out of this murky place!" Popo said to the others.

When the group comes out from the stairs and runs into the nearby corridor, they end up stopping in their tracks as Falcon and his minions are blocking their way.

"Ow... really?" Popo complained.

"Link, you've already been my mortal enemy for a long time. But, you, that woman over there..." Falcon points to Samus.

"Falcon..." Samus said.

"You still seem to be that desperate in getting Luigi back from me, isn't that right?"

Samus clenches her fist.

"Everyone present here... let this woman, er, Samus, be in the spotlight, because it's up to her only..."

Falcon moves to his side to show Mr. L, who immediately throws a lasso made of Hitmonlee's intestines in an attempt to strangle Samus. Link catches it just in time before it reaches Samus. Then, he manages to pull Mr. L with it and flail him around until he falls back to his spot. Meanwhile, Mario whispers to Marth, Popo and Jeff about the other trophies. The latter three nod and follow Mario to take out all of the Bob-ombs present there. The smoke from the explosions causes a distraction and gives way to pass through Falcon's blockade, prompting Falcon to ask his two henchmen, Beedrill and Ness, to pursue those four. This leaves only Link, Samus and Donkey Kong from Samus's side.

"Isn't this nice? Some of your allies abandoned you." Falcon said.

"No. They know what they're doing. I'm still here for Luigi no matter what, while my other two allies are here to help me." Samus said.

"Well, then. If you insist that you three are capable for that... BRING IT ON!"

With Falcon also joining the combat, Samus's side has to make use of their only pure strength and skill as they lack weapons. Donkey Kong faces against Falcon, growling. The former attempts to throw a punch, but Falcon, being swift, dodges it by hopping backwards. Falcon then lands a free hit on the gorilla with a punch of his own to the latter's head, knocking him down. The fierce Mr. L tries to get closer to Samus, though Link keeps foiling the former's attempts by striking back. Samus herself mostly focuses on dodging incoming attacks, especially from Mr. L's. Falcon occasionally tries to take her out, but she is also on equal footing when compared to him in combat skills despite Falcon being tougher. The collapsed Kong suddenly gets up and tries to hold back Mr. L, but the latter starts violently struggling. Mr. L then repeatedly punches the gorilla's face until he's knocked out once again. Link, meanwhile, is already brutally wounded by Falcon's attacks. Samus has also gained some injuries as well. Falcon then knocks down the weakened Link then looks at Samus.

"Hah... hah... Who's going to help you now?" Falcon is tired from all that fighting.

"Ugh... It's only myself against two..." Samus thought.

Unlike Falcon, Mr. L is still as restless as ever. He glares at the injured Samus and begins to walk toward her. Seeing Mr. L, Samus takes a few steps backwards while sporting a fearful look on her face.

"Heheh... Now you're scared at the sight of your former friend!" Falcon exclaimed.

Mr. L gets his bowie knife ready.

"Luigi... Don't..."

"This should be the end of your life now!"

"Samus! Catch!" Marth, who is back at the corridor, throws the Super Mushroom trophy. It passes over Falcon and is caught by Samus.

"How can you...? Grr..." Falcon chases after Marth, who runs away, leaving only Samus and Mr. L.

Mr. L is now raising his knife, ready to stab Samus. Samus, looking at the trophy, remembers what Popo first told her about its ability of revealing Luigi's past memories. Hoping that such memory can be viewed by Mr. L, Samus offers him the Super Mushroom trophy, which makes him stop and lower his weapon.

"Here, take it." Samus said.

Mr. L snatches the trophy away then looks at it. Suddenly, a vision of the past is formed from Mr. L's point of view. It shows his various activities after Samus found him in the forest.

* * *

"Hey, Samus! Let's try something fun! I'll close my eyes while standing over there, and you go find your hiding place! After I finished my countdown, I'll go seek!"

"O...kay...?"

* * *

"Can I join? I'd rather warm up near this bonfire."

"Sure. Just be careful."

* * *

"Are you really happy living alone in a forest like this?"

"Um..."

"Well... You need other people too, you know?"

* * *

"I can't help but thank you for helping me out!"

"It's alright. I only want to help, after all."

"It's rare to see someone as kind as you!"

* * *

The very last memory echoes inside Mr. L's head, causing him to stay in place. Samus is not sure if it actually works, but she steps closer to him just to make sure. He still does not move.

Then, he suddenly looks up, looking at Samus.

"Helping me out... Someone as kind as you..."

Samus is surprised.

"You are... somebody that I used to be allied with..."

Samus is still speechless.

"...I can't forget your kindness."

Samus begins to tear up, something that rarely happens to her.

"I had such sweet memories... Thank you..."

Samus suddenly says, "No, Luigi, I have to thank you. You've changed my life. Without you, I wouldn't get to gain new allies and know my enemies... I consider you a valuable ally to me..."

"Hm. We've done good things to each other, it seems. I shouldn't forget you. I really shouldn't. I still have to thank you for reminding me of good things from my past..."

The teary-eyed Samus then hugs the plumber, who reverts back to his usual self.

"Samus... Don't cry..."

"I-I'm sorry, Luigi. I... really shouldn't have cried... But..." Samus said.

"It's alright. Now... we should get out of here, shouldn't we?" Luigi said while giving the Super Mushroom trophy back to Samus.

Meanwhile, Marth is back at the corridor where Samus and Luigi is. Actually, he collapsed. His body is full bruises. Falcon shows up after that, who can only stare in shock and disgust.

"NO!" Falcon shouted.

Luigi looks back at the captain, bowie knife in hand. As the plumber glares at him, Falcon screams, "THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO STAY UNDER MY COMMAND!"

"I can do whatever my mind tells me to. Thanks to Samus, I finally recalled what I actually am." Luigi approaches Falcon.

The captain notices the trophy that Samus is holding, then he says, "It must be that trophy! Don't tell me that's the trophy's power!"

"I have almost no clue about trophies. It's something new for me. But... how about if I assume it to be... yes?"

Luigi then lunges towards Falcon, knocking him down to the floor, and begins stabbing him multiple times with the same knife that the captain gave him a while ago. Falcon fights back as well. However, even with the multitude of stabs on his body, Falcon can still struggle violently as if he is still physically fine. It ends with Luigi getting knocked backwards.

"That isn't normal... I even managed to stab his heart!" Luigi said.

"Grr... If you still think that you can defeat me, never get your hopes up! I'm invincible!" Falcon gets angrier.

Meanwhile, Marth struggles to get up due to his injuries. He then notices that Falcon's back is oozing some sort of black substance, despite Luigi not stabbing any part of his back. He tries to speak, but he can't.

_I can't talk... Urgh..._

"Now, you shall fall just like those two fools..." Falcon walks closer to Luigi and Samus, the former of which is shielding the latter.

Suddenly, a voice is heard.

"THAT'S NOT FALCON!"

It was Jeff, who has just arrived at the corridor once again, carrying his trophy with him, and promptly shoots the black substance on Falcon's back with his freeze ray. Once the goo-like substance is frozen, Falcon screams in pain and slowly turns back to face the opposite way. Marth, meanwhile, is relieved that someone else finally points out the suspicious goo.

"What do you mean that it's not Falcon? Oh!" Just when Samus asked, Falcon's back is exposed to her, allowing her to see the black substance. Meanwhile, Link and Donkey Kong finally regain their consciousness and get up to see Falcon's back.

"You there... It's nice that you've finally figured something out... But..."

Falcon's bruises and injuries caused by Luigi's knife begin to leak more of the black goo.

"I'M TAKING ALL OF YOU WITH ME!" Falcon then leaks more of the liquid substance, with the liquid itself pulsating, changing color between black and bright red as it does so.

"What is he doing?!" Samus asked.

"He's going to self-destruct! Not only will he destroy himself, his self-destruct will result in an explosion that can destroy this castle!" Jeff exclaimed.

"If that's the case, let's help the others get out." Luigi begins to help Link and Donkey Kong stand up. After that, Jeff himself helps the injured Marth near him get up.

"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE!" Falcon screams. After that, all of his army of Bob-ombs and Beedrill appear from every room connected to the corridor the group is in. They all burst into the same liquid creature that Jeff happened to describe to Samus's group back then, albeit they're all blue and move slowly.

"So... those Bob-ombs and Beedrill aren't real either..." Jeff said.

Link then quickly pulls out Mario's Smash Ball trophy from his pocket and begins concentrating. The trophy glows and shoots out a beam that points out their escape route, while at the same time destroying the blob monsters that are on the way and repelling the others who aren't hit. Link then promptly dashes. Without any hesitation, the rest of the group follows him. Occasionally, Link has to wave the trophy to the approaching blob monsters that try to strike from behind, as someone like Marth moves slower than everyone else and has his movement assisted by Samus and Luigi. On their way, they also get to see the unpleasant view of the real Pokémon that "Falcon" happened to recruit being devoured by the blob monsters. As they have no time to stop their escape, they cannot save them, especially with the fact that there are a lot of these poor Pokémon, and several are too late to be saved anyway.

Once they get out of the castle, they suddenly realize that two people are missing from the group: Mario and Popo.

"Popo is just a kid... This can be considered to be the most horrible thing to happen to him..." Samus said in a sad tone.

"My brother... I can't believe he hasn't escaped yet..." Luigi said.

"At this point... they'll either die from those abominations or from the explosion..." Marth weakly said.

Back inside the castle, Popo is helping Mario walk out of the room they were previously in. Mario got brutally injured after fighting against Ness and the real Beedrill, while Popo got some bruises on his face. Unfortunately for them, the numerous blob monsters are advancing their way towards them.

"What are those things?!" Popo is surprised.

"I... I don't know..." Mario weakly replied.

*BOOM!*

The explosion happens, destroying the castle and everything inside. The survivors outside, meanwhile, end up being knocked backwards into the snow.

When Samus gets up, she shouts, "NO!"

Everyone else can only look at the burning castle.

Suddenly, something glowing is floating towards them. It is a ball of light that contains Mario and Popo inside, as if the light is a protective bubble that allows them to survive the explosion. The group can only stare in awe as the duo is finally placed on the ground. And that is when the group finally realizes where the possible cause came from: Jeff's trophy. In fact, it is actually glowing as that happened, but the bright fire from the burning building caused the group to focus more on the latter.

"So that's what my trophy does... protecting those two from imminent death..." Jeff said.

"Wow. That's really something. Thanks a lot for saving us, Jeff." Popo is grateful.

"I guess... those, er, trophies are really that special on their own..." Mario said.

"I'll tell you more about that later. First, we have to get something to heal the injured." Jeff said.

Fortunately, Link happens to carry some bandages in his pocket. So, the injured ones can make use of them to cover their bruises. Meanwhile, Samus is looking away at the snowy forest while still holding the Super Mushroom trophy. It is night time currently, with the sky being covered with a lot of stars that time. A moon is also visible. Luigi then approaches her and begins asking her something.

"What's wrong, Samus?"

"Huh? Um, it's nothing."

"Nothing, hm? Anyway... I just realized... what do you think of my new look?" Luigi points out that he still keeps the beret, cape, blue jumpsuit and yellow boots, which he got from "Falcon".

Samus does not say anything, though she shows a slight smirk.

"Don't these look awesome on me?" Luigi asked. He then laughs, like he usually does when he is happy.

After that, Luigi begins talking again.

"But, you know... I actually questioned myself about Falcon."

"Hm?"

"As in, shouldn't he have died long ago?"

This sparks a considerable interest from the others, causing Popo to blurt out, "Wait, what? What do you mean about that?!"

"Oh. Everyone. I hope you like listening to my story for just a short while." Luigi notices that the others are looking at him.

"No problem at all. Go on." Marth said.

"Alright. Here's from what I remembered back then. During a battle that cost both of my allies' lives, I believe the fight ended with Falcon falling off a cliff with a huge log following his fall. From that size, it should be powerful enough to kill him. I could see what happened down there. He fell right to a solid ground down there, and the log clearly landed right on top of him. He should've been dead, but somehow he made a sudden comeback much later on and captured me..."

"That's interesting. I'm going to assume that he's one tough guy." Popo commented.

"However, keep in mind that the same Falcon we saw in his castle wasn't him at all, despite his appearance." Jeff said.

"Indeed. He has that black substance coming out of him. And that substance... it reminds me of the liquid that came out from the meteorites." Samus said.

"If my hunch is correct, then it is possible that the Falcon in the past actually did die, but the black substance managed to find their way to his dead body, thus either reviving him or creating a clone of him."

"But he had normal blood coming out too, so I can't assume the latter. Even then, I guess the former seems to be very likely. Oh, wait a minute..." Luigi said.

"What is it?"

"I think I've made a close contact with such liquid before... I think I remember sleeping next to some. I thought it was oil back then. How wrong I was..."

"When you think about it, I think that's why the trophy can snap him back..." Samus said.

"Now that makes sense!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Hm?"

"Luigi's, um, dark side, is actually part of the liquid abominations' intentions of trying to convert him, but he's still alive and well, so back then he could control himself but not anymore when he was made into Falcon's ally. And keep in mind that when Link used Mario's trophy, the light instantly eradicated those blob creatures which got in the way. They're indeed weak to these trophies."

"I see. So that's why..." Mario realized.

"Had you follow Falcon's any further orders, you'd make the situation worse than what happened back then. As in, the same thing can happen to you if the black liquid can find its way to you!"

"Indeed. I'm actually glad that Donkey Kong and I decided to stop working for Falcon altogether. After all, we already promised to ourselves that we have to find a way to stop this world's crisis."

"And we have to do it quickly, as there are more of these creatures now. We have to rely on Smash Tower to fully eradicate those beings."

"Agreed. We have to destroy all of those creatures before it's too late." Popo said.


	7. The Backup Squad, Ray MK III, and the Evil Princess

"Not so fast!" a voice is heard.

Suddenly, Samus's group is now surrounded by a group of seven.

"I'm Lakitu. You don't want to see me mad." the first member spoke, who juggles a spiky creature on his hands. Lakitu is the most moody of the group. He can deliver tough melee combat skills.

"My name's Ashley. Welcome to your death, hm?" the second member takes one step further towards the group. She is very capable of using her wand both for magic and for close-range combat.

"I'm Little Mac. Don't underestimate me just because I look weak!" the third member spoke. Despite his short stature and his tendency of carrying a book, he is on equal footing with the other six, meaning that he is really tough.

"I am Resetti. Looks like you'll suffer soon." the fourth member is an anthropomorphic mole who is often seen with an angry expression. Despite that, he is a critical thinker and can take advantage of his enemies' weaknesses well.

"Heehee... I'm this group's second-in-command, Pinky." the fifth member looks like a typical bedsheet ghost, though she is pink and wears a pair of light purple gloves. Pinky can lure her opponents with her cute look then attack them mercilessly. As she mentioned, she is the group leader's right-hand woman.

The sixth member is a Labrador Retriever. Nothing special, just an ordinary dog, though it is more fierce than a usual Labrador. Facing Samus's group, the dog growls and barks.

Lastly, there's the group's leader, Dark Samus. Seeing her, Samus can only say, "No... she shouldn't be still alive..."

"You know her?" Popo asked.

"Yes, but I won't tell anymore about it."

"Why?"

"None of your business."

"Isn't this sweet? The woman over there happens to know our leader, teehee!" Pinky gleefully said.

"Enough! Why are you here?!"

"Let me speak out to you. You see, the seven of us here were hired by Captain Falcon. We were told that we're supposed to kill you, though he kept us waiting for God knows how long. He then said to us that in case his plan is failing, we're allowed to strike!"

"Falcon's dead, so there should be no more purpose of you trying to kill us!" Marth exclaimed.

"Marth, Samus, listen up." Jeff said to those two.

"What is it?" Samus looked back.

"Remember what I said about Falcon being revived by that mysterious liquid? That group's leader over there might not be real too. She might be trying to convert us into more of those creatures!"

"Oh, I see. Well, that makes my reasoning pointless." Marth said.

Pinky is confused at what they're saying, they she says, "I don't get what you're saying, but anyway, shall we do an all-out attack, leader?"

Dark Samus nods in the affirmative. After that, she readies her arm cannon.

"Alrighty, then. Everyone, attaaaaaack!" Pinky shouted.

The fight quickly ensues. Samus, obviously, fights against her dark lookalike. Even without her weapons and armor, she can still fight quite well, though Dark Samus can not really get injured due to her armor, so Samus herself focuses mostly on trying to knock her dark lookalike down, or at least have Dark Samus accidentally hit her allies. Meanwhile, Mario fights against Lakitu, but it feels more like a two-versus-one situation as Lakitu is accompanied by the spiky creature, Spiny. The Spiny is quite fast, and thanks to its spikes, trying to jump for whatever reason is never a good idea. Mario spends most of his time trying to get closer to Lakitu while at the same time having to avoid that annoying Spiny. Until suddenly, the Spiny is hit by one of Dark Samus's stray shots, paralyzing it briefly before it ends up getting frozen by Jeff's freeze ray.

"What the-? Grr..." Lakitu gets angry.

"Looks like we're now even. HYAAAHH!" Mario lunges forward to strike the goggles-wearing turtle.

Popo is almost smacked by Ashley's wand. All Popo can do is dodging anyway, as he has no weapons at his disposal.

"Now's the time when I realize that I should've brought my hammer with me..." Popo complained.

"Rule number one of travels: Always bring your most important needs with you, kid." Ashley keeps swinging her wand, which is now imbued with dark magic.

Meanwhile, Donkey Kong tries to fight against Little Mac, but the latter ends up dodging every punch the former throws at him. Once Little Mac gets right behind him, the book-holding boxer delivers a hard punch to his back, knocking him down.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall, they say? Not on my book!" Little Mac said.

Mr. Resetti is flailing his pickaxe at Marth. He specifically targets Marth's only hand. Marth himself can only hop backwards every time the mole attempts to injure his limb.

"Move here, you coward!" Resetti exclaimed.

"Move towards you? Well, let's see if you can take this!" Marth quickly dashes to Resetti's side and manages to kick him from his left.

"Urgh... Why didn't I predict that...?" Resetti collapses on the ground. "Ouch! OW!" he's then stomped mercilessly by Marth.

"That's what you get from trying to take advantage of someone less perfect than you!" Marth said to the wounded mole.

"You're pathetic, Resetti!" Pinky complained. She is then suddenly struck by Luigi's knife, but, being a ghost, it does not hurt her at all.

"Oh. Well, well, well. You thought that I'm some sort of a floating blob. It takes someone as idiotic as you to not figure what I'm supposed to be!" Pinky slaps Luigi on the face, which is just as pathetic as a typical slap, even more so when one considers that Pinky is a really capable fighter.

"Ow... But how about explaining that slap?! If I can't hit you, you shouldn't be able to hit me either because you're a ghost! Sure, I can be stupid at times, but at least I tried once!"

"My rules are not your rules, teehee!"

Pinky then notices that the Labrador has been completely tied up. It can not bite because its mouth is tied shut, and it can not move around freely because its legs are tied up as well. Link is the one who did it.

Suddenly, an energy shot is fired to the brawling group, causing everyone involved to switch their attention to the source, which is some sort of robot.

Dark Samus and the rest of her group recognize the robot. Pinky says, "Master..."

Meanwhile, a voice from another direction interrupts the group as well.

"I've finally found you!"

* * *

The robot that interrupted the brawl begins to descend to the ground, while at the same time a red-haired swordsman is rushing towards the group. Upon a closer look, the robot is revealed to be far shorter than Samus's group expected, as it stands at about 12 inches. It has a blue and white color scheme and red appendages that function as its wings. When the swordsman also gets to see the robot, he readies his sword.

Of all people present there, only Samus seems to recognize the swordsman. "Huh? Isn't he...?"

The swordsman begins to charge towards the short robot, while the latter begins firing laser shots, which are dodged by the man while he still dashes to his target. The swordsman then performs a sword slash, with the sword's blade now wreathed in flames, though it is also dodged, leaving both fighters still unscathed. Seeing the sudden fight, the two different groups can only watch in confusion, especially Dark Samus's group, as they have never seen the red-haired swordsman before.

When the fight stops, Lakitu, one of Dark Samus's cohorts begins to speak up, "...Hey! How dare you strike our master like that?!"

The swordsman doesn't answer. But then, noticing that Samus is present among other people, the swordsman finally decides to speak up. He first approaches Samus, then tells her, "Sorry for suddenly diverting my attention away from giving a proper introduction. Now... I believe that you still remember me, hm?"

Everyone else is surprised. Samus knows that she had seen the swordsman before, but she feels unsure about when she met him and what his name is.

"Hmm... I guess you've forgotten me already. I'm Roy. I met you in your dream a long time ago, remember?" Roy reintroduces himself. This surprises everyone else even more.

"Oh. It's you. Never thought I'd see you in person." Samus said.

"Same here. I was going on a long journey, and here I am."

Suddenly, Pinky says something to Roy. "I'm sorry. But you still haven't answered my pal's question about why you suddenly attacked our master..."

"Hmph. Why would it matter? I've been destined to fight against it."

The robot's name is called Ray MK III. Its origin is unknown, but it is said that it was man-made. Even then, who created Ray remains unknown as well. Roy's first encounter involving Ray happened in a city, where the latter managed to rescue a citizen from getting run over by a school bus before the former arrived. Seeing the potential for helping him in his jobs, Roy tried to get Ray to join his alliance. However, the robot refused, then proceeded to attack him with a volley of lasers. After that, intense battle ensued, something like what happened after Ray interrupted the fight between Dark Samus's group and Samus's group, only in a bigger scale. Their fights in that city managed to destroy buildings and killed people they supposed to keep safe. It ended with Roy getting trapped underneath the rubble of a ruined building, while Ray disappeared. Fortunately, he was rescued by his own allies, but they were late to the battle itself. And that was what drove Roy's motivation on defeating Ray MK III.

Back at the current situation, Ray MK III suddenly points at something, prompting everyone else to look at what it is pointing to. It points to Samus, specifically her held trophy.

"I get it." Roy said. "It wants that."

"What 'that'? This trophy?" Samus asked.

"I guess so."

"Excuse me, but you should get out of our sight and actually let our master sort things out." Ashley said to Roy.

"...Why are you calling it your master? It doesn't deserve to be a trustworthy ally."

"Our master trained us, and since Captain Falcon hired it that makes us being hired to kill that woman's group as well."

Ray MK III then makes a gesture as if it is asking for a fight against Roy only.

"Huh. That's settled then."

"What?" Samus asked.

"That robot, Ray, wants your trophy, correct? And since it has to go through me first, it asked for a battle between me and Ray only. None of you, from either side, are allowed to help me or Ray in any way. Also, neither group should attack each other during our battle just so we're not distracted. The victory of one of us will determine whether the trophy will go or stay."

"Teehee! That's cute. But you really, really can't mess with our master!" Pinky gleefully said.

And with that, Roy steps forward and readies his sword once again, while Ray floats slightly. The two then charge at each other, with the impact causing them to get knocked back. Roy then prepares for another flaming sword slash, while Ray fires an explosive shot to the ground. The smoke from the explosion disrupts Roy's sight, which, combined with the robot's small size, makes it difficult to find his target. A laser shot suddenly hits Roy's right hand, causing him to drop his sword and clutch his injured hand with the other. When he discovers that Ray is attacking from behind, Roy surprises it with a kick that it is too late to dodge from, launching it away. As the smoke clears, Roy picks up his sword with his left hand and begins searching for the robot again. Ray is flying behind him again, though much further away. It then fires another explosive at Roy, which he noticed, causing him to quickly sidestep away, though the explosion's blast causes him to get knocked down after said sidestepping. Ray then quickly fires another volley of lasers, which Roy quickly dodged from by rolling sideways. The latter then gets up and begins thinking how to work his sword attacks with his left hand. Meanwhile, Ray begins to charge towards him again, prompting him to do the same just so he can pierce the robot with his flaming sword.

However...

Just when the two are about to collide with each other, a lightning bolt strikes both fighters, destroying Ray and leaving Roy paralyzed. More lightning bolts struck the ground and any other part of the environment, so the others have to find a safe place or shelter to protect themselves from the sudden lightning bolts. Suddenly, Dark Samus is struck by a lightning strike, weakening her and exposing her true form, a blue blob monster not too different from the ones that disguised as Falcon's army of Bob-ombs and Beedrill. Shortly after, all of Dark Samus's allies end up burst into the same blue blob monster. Then, all of those creatures flee from the location.

After all of that, no more lightning bolts striking. Samus and her allies managed to survive. They then quickly approach the still-paralyzed Roy on the ground.

"Do you think he would remain alive?" Popo asked.

"A lightning strike like that can kill a person. I think he won't survive..." Jeff replied in a worried tone.

* * *

Someone is walking up to Samus's group. She looks short, and appears to be an anthropomorphic yellow dog. She wears pink ribbons on both of her ears, dark pink robe, pink long-sleeved shirt adorned with red ribbons, a yellow belt with a heart-shaped emblem on it, and pink short skirt.

"I should've been here first, hm?" the dog spoke, surprising Samus's group.

"Oh! What funny faces! Before you ask, it was me who summoned those lightning bolts. Is that redhead a friend of yours? If that's so, then my apologies. Don't worry about him. My lightning bolts are pure magic and won't really kill a person... unless I wanted to..." the dog explained while still wearing the innocent smile.

"You definitely seem like you wanted to kill Roy..." Samus said.

"Huh. So the redhead's name is Roy? Good name, but not as good as mine! Anyway, I can remove my magic's effects from him. Watch."

The yellow dog waves her left hand. Said hand gradually glows green, then once it becomes intense enough for everyone nearby, including herself, to slightly cover their eyes, the dog launches the generated magic to Roy's paralyzed body. A few seconds after that, Roy makes a slight movement, indicating that, yes, the dog can heal him.

"Urrrgghh..." Roy struggles a bit to get up. "I'm still alive, apparently... Heh."

Popo then proceeds to thank the dog, "Wow! Thank you for helping him, um... what's your name?"

"My name's Isabelle. I'm the princess of a faraway kingdom. Which kingdom? It's classified."

Samus then says, "Listen. Even after what you did, I still can't tolerate you for paralyzing Roy and almost causing us to suffer the same fate."

"Samus!" Luigi exclaimed. "That's not a nice thing to say!"

"Your mustached friend seems to be correct. 'That's not a nice thing to say' indeed... Heh. While I'm at it, I want your friend. He's really nice, compared to you." Isabelle said.

"...Wait. Don't tell me..." Samus said.

"Well, well, well. I'm guessing you've already raised enough suspicion about me... Samus. Yep, I already knew your name before your best friend mentioned it in front of me..."

Samus begins to hold on to Luigi's shoulders. The others, feeling uneasy and confused at the same time, can only watch the whole situation.

"Don't be so tense! I can let you get off scot-free! Here's how. Samus, you have to let go of Luigi. If you don't comply, then I'll first torture you with my wonderful lightning bolts. Why torture? Because I'll heal you, then make you suffer again until you finally give in! Or if you're still really stubborn, then I'll just finish you off. How's that? It's that simple!" Isabelle explained.

"Don't worry, Samus, we've got your back." Marth said. Mario and Donkey Kong nod in support.

"Even with more Falcon followers like her, it is possible for us to escape!" Jeff said.

"Falcon? You're kidding me, right?! I never chase down falcons. Even if those falcons are as intelligent as myself, they're often too inferior for my liking!"

"I'm sorry, angry, eh, princess. 'Falcon' here, Captain Falcon, refers to someone that I used to work with, but now I despised him. He's in pursuit of my brother, so we all assume you're part of his alliance." Mario said.

"Eh. I don't know anyone named Falcon. Let alone a Captain Falcon. I'm just doing this on somebody else's request."

"A request?! From whom?" Samus asked.

"Let's just say that he has been waiting anxiously since I showed up. Welp, it's your cue now, my client! Sorry about this." Isabelle raises her right hand to signal her client to come out of hiding.

The bush not far from the place the group is in begins shaking, driving their attention to it. Then, the client reveals himself. It is Prince Joe.

"Grrrr... I thought hiring someone like you would make things easier for me." the egoistic prince said.

"No... Not you again!" Samus exclaimed. Luigi can only stay clueless as he has no idea what is going on now. Meanwhile, Link draws his sword in response, ready to strike if something goes horribly wrong.

"First things first, I'm still not over it. You're the perfect companion for me, Samus. My fate relies on you, and I'm afraid that my life and my kingdom will be miserable if you don't rule along with me. I mean, come on! It's not that bad!" Prince Joe angrily said.

"I will never be a companion for someone as horrendous as you!" Samus shouted back at him.

"Ugh. Listen up, all of you. After two failures, I tried the third one by hiring someone good enough to kidnap you, Samus. How do I pay Isabelle back? By having your so-called loyal companion being given to her just to balance it out! After all of that, she will proceed to destroy the rest of you who aren't part of my plan, peasants! But unfortunately, Isabelle found you at the wrong time, but it won't matter since she's powerful enough to wipe you out!"

"And that's that, everyone." Isabelle said. "Now I can proceed with the real thing. Samus, leave with Prince Joe. As for you Luigi, you can go with me. I promise you that you'll get much better life compared to being with her."

"This is pretty much death sentence to us." Marth said.

"Regardless of Samus's response, it is very likely that all of us will be killed anyway, while Samus and Luigi are very likely to live miserable lives!" Mario said.

"Er, Samus... What are you gonna do?" Luigi asked.

"I'm really jealous of your relationship, Samus. You worked hard with your allies to get Luigi from a certain base, which I now know as Falcon's base thanks to two of your friends mentioning his name. I wish I was the one doing the rescue instead. That would make things much better! But alas..." Isabelle begins charging up her lightning magic.

"So... what's your answer? Give up Luigi and live a better life with Prince Joe, or die together with those losers you call 'friends'?" Isabelle gives one last question.

"Urk... what to do?" Samus begins contemplating. "...Regardless of my answer, Popo and the others will die horribly. I want them to stay alive after all this. What should I do...?" Samus thought.


	8. The Reveals

Time suddenly stops, but Link is the only one aware of the situation. A black blob-like being suddenly appears out of thin air, right behind Isabelle and Prince Joe. It then instantly disintegrates both by piercing its appendages through them, removing them from existence. Seeing this, Link leaps forward to attack, but gets launched far backwards by the blob creature's flailing tentacle. Before Link gets up, the blob-like being then consumes the helpless Luigi, then disappears, but not before showing the dreaded face of Captain Falcon to Link. It all happened very quickly and Link was too late to strike back. A few moments later, time resumes itself, which leaves Samus's group surprised at the disappearance of Isabelle, Prince Joe and Luigi. Especially Samus, who ends up standing still, speechless.

"What was that?" Marth wondered.

"I have no idea. It's like those two suddenly disappeared in a split second. No, not split second, probably in a split millisecond! I mean they suddenly disappeared without a trace." Jeff said.

"It's not just those two! Luigi is now gone too!" Mario exclaimed.

"Oh, no! Samus, Samus! Do you have any idea of what's going on?! ...Miss Samus?" Popo asked in panic, but suddenly notices that Samus still keeps the same "shocked in despair" expression. "Samus..."

"I... didn't just see that... right? It wasn't an eye trickery, right? Luigi... He... disappeared right in front of my eyes... But there's nothing... nothing that indicates him being taken away... This must be a horrible dream... right?"

"Oh no..." Popo said.

After helping Roy finally get up to his feet, Mario and Donkey Kong finally notice Link standing much further away behind the group. Link appears to be feeling some sort of regret, as seen by him simply staring to the ground in despair.

"Hey, Link. What are doing back there? I thought you were with us. Hm? What's wrong?" Mario asked.

The others, except for Samus, then turn back to see Link after hearing Mario's question.

"Hmm..." Popo looks back at Samus, then back at Link. "Link, did you just see something related to Luigi's disappearance? Your expression just says 'I failed' to me."

Link weakly nods.

"WHAT?! If you happened to see it, then what was it?!" Marth shouted at Link.

"Don't rush. Give him a moment." Roy said to Marth, trying to lessen the tension of the situation.

As usual, Link does not say anything, which obviously does not resolve the problem they are in. Popo, someone that Link knows better, decides to walk towards him, asking him to whisper about what he saw. After Link whispered to Popo, Popo suddenly backs off in horror.

"What's the answer, Popo?" Jeff asked.

The scared Popo says, "It was the blob creature."

"WHAT?!" everyone but Samus is shocked. Samus herself, meanwhile, begins to perk up from the brief despair and slightly looks to her back.

"There's still one around here?! But where? We can't even see it! Luigi and those messed-up royalties were simply... gone." Jeff said.

"Urk... Apparently, the blob creatures are getting more powerful. Because this time, as an example, the blob monster that Link saw managed to stop time and teleport itself right behind the duo."

"What? Really?"

"Yes. And now you must be wondering how the three disappeared without a trace and in a sudden."

Everyone else nods.

"Because of the time-stopping power, it manages to do the following things without being spotted easily, except by Link. The two baddies were pretty much erased from existence by getting pierced..."

"Luigi..." Samus weakly said.

"Huh? Samus?"

"Was he erased the same way as those two...?"

"Urk... I don't know if I consider this a better fate or worse, but Link said to me that when frozen in time, the blob creature simply ate Luigi and took him away. At least that's what it looked like according to Link... But I guess it's actually not any better, or probably even worse... because the blob creature taunted Link before disappearing."

"..."

"Gulp... It feels uneasy for me to mention the dreaded name again... but the blob creature formed Captain Falcon's face..."

"NO!" Samus begins clutching her head and crying. She finally lost it.

"Woo boy... Look what you have done, kid. She's heartbroken now." Roy commented.

"There's no time for anything funny!" Marth angrily said.

"Popo." Jeff said.

"Huh?"

"One thing interesting to me is that you just nonchalantly said that only Link was immune to the frozen time. What was that about?"

"Oh! I'm sorry that I haven't told you this for a long time, but Link was never sure that I should reveal the truth..." Popo then looks back at Link. "Link, are you okay with your real identity being uncovered?"

Link, having no other choices, simply nods in the affirmative.

"Alright, then. Now listen, everyone!" Popo said to the entire group.

"I think it's about time that I have to tell you the truth about Link here."

"Okay. Just spit it out." Mario said.

Popo then begins explaining. "I'll start with the most important thing. Link is a living trophy."

"Wha-? Link doesn't even look like a trophy!" Marth is confused.

"Are you for real, kid?" Mario asked.

"Living trophy? Now that sounds interesting." Jeff commented.

"Eh. I can tell you a bit about living trophies..." Roy said.

"Oh. You know about those too?" Popo asked.

"Yes, I do. I can explain better."

"Well... go on, I guess."

"Living trophies are just that, trophies that were brought to life by the power of Smash Tower in case if the world is doomed yet the tower is unable to do anything to avert the situation. Those trophies are well-guarded by the tower itself, as they represent important aspects of this Smash world. So, basically, someone like Link represents time, since he's unaffected by the frozen time. The living trophies' role is to help guide the key trophy holders to the associated key trophy as well as finding said key trophies themselves. You may wonder why those small trophies are scattered throughout the region. Since I'm assuming that it's relevant to what it's going on right now, I'll just say that it's for Smash Tower's safety. Blue-parka kid..."

"Um. That's Popo. You've heard my name mentioned a few times already..."

"Well, whatever, Popo. But hear me out, you said that Link mentioned about that blob monster getting more powerful, right?"

"Yes...?"

"There's a clear cause for that. The blob monsters have absorbed the power from Smash Tower by consuming the trophies placed there. Sure they were weak to them the first time, but after some time have passed, their numbers finally have overcome the power of the trophies in the Smash Tower itself, thus enabling them to gain additional power by absorbing the trophies, which are the ones supposed to repel those creatures. The key trophies are no different from other trophies, but in order to make the key trophies being useful inside the tower, it requires the holders to be really determined to not see the world ending too soon. That's why only certain people can make use of those key trophies, like that Smash Ball one you're holding." Roy points to Mario and his Smash Ball trophy.

"Wait, wait, wait. Roy, you seem to know so much. But it gives me more questions than answers. Especially the very concept of living trophies. If they represent a certain aspect of this world, then why can't they just wipe out those blob creatures themselves?" Jeff asked.

"Why, you ask? Living trophies, once brought to life, function mostly like normal people. I mean, like, Popo, have you seen Link time-travelling?"

"Nope. Ever since Link started living in my house, I haven't seen him do that. But if not in front of me... I don't know..."

Link then suddenly shakes his head, indicating that he never does so.

"See? Even though the only power left is immunity to a certain aspect as well as the ability to use the trophies, living trophies aren't THAT overpowered." Roy said.

"That still leaves more logic holes to me, because I have more questions." Jeff said to Roy.

"Hehe, I guess that's enough for that. But most importantly, now you know the basic concept of living trophies, yes?"

Everyone else except Popo and Link simply looks at each other, still a bit perplexed about the concept, but at least they know about Link being an aspect of Smash Tower, and by extension, the Smash world itself.

Suddenly, Samus begins asking Roy. "...Roy, as Jeff mentioned before, you know a lot about these things. How did you know all of that...? Even Popo won't get as far as you when it comes to giving trophy-related explanations..."

"Heh. That's simple. I'm a living trophy myself, specifically the one that represents space."

"WHAT?!"

"No need to be THAT surprised. I mean, I've been living like a normal person ever since I was summoned into this world, which is actually kind of fun if you ask me."

Link simply shakes his head in disbelief.

"Roy... if you're a living trophy, you should've done something important..." Popo said.

"Oh, come on... I don't have much time to live until you all save the world or something."

"We have our own lifespan too, Roy." Marth said.

"Welp... Looks like I'm going to assist you. For real this time. I won't slack off. I mean, I was pretty good at my battle against Ray MK III, right?"

"Now that part doesn't sound too normal to me... The battling part you mentioned, I mean." Jeff said.

"Roy, one more thing." Samus said. "You mentioned that the blob creatures can now safely devour the trophies, but what about the one explained by Popo? As in, the one who took Luigi from me. ...Look at us. Our trophies remain unscathed."

"Hmm... Now this is a special case. I don't know if it's something like this. Sorry." Roy answered.

Popo then suddenly says, "Hey. Let's visit Nana!"

"What? Who?" Mario asked.

"Nana is an outstanding explorer. I believe she knows about almost every possible point of interest in the world. It won't hurt to ask her about this crisis and the relevant locations. Who knows that we can gather some hints about the blob monster that took Luigi." Marth said.

"Yep, just as explained by Marth. Well, both of us know her, but I hope she doesn't change her base this time. Last time I saw her, she mentioned that she's planning to place her base near a beach. Unfortunately... we're so far away, I don't know where to go anymore."

"Not to worry, kid. We've got this." Mario said as Donkey Kong holds up the Smash Ball trophy.

Meanwhile, Samus simply thinks, "Luigi... I know that you won't disappear... Please stay fine... Don't disappear so soon..."

* * *

It has been a long trip. Days have passed. Various environments have been passed by. Samus's group alternates between walking and stopping every few hours because of said long trip. They can only rely on the Smash Ball trophy for now. Despite the long journey, they fortunately have not encountered any problems related to the mysterious blob creatures.

Another few days later, the group has finally arrived near a beach. Said beach contains nothing but sand and the vast blue sea further away. The Smash Ball trophy's trail of light still points to a location somewhere nearby. If what Popo said previously can be counted on, that means that Nana's base has not moved from the spot.

As the group keeps walking, they arrive near what appears to be a hut. From Donkey Kong's point of view, his trophy's light is pointing to the inside of the hut, meaning that Nana might be there. Before anyone can go in, however, Popo interrupts the others and asks them to wait, as he wants to greet Nana first.

The blue ice climber steps into the hut.

"…Hello?"

"Huh?" the hut's inhabitant heard Popo's voice.

"Ehem. Excuse me…?"

The inhabitant, a young ice climber much like Popo, albeit female and wearing pink, turns back to see Popo at the entrance.

"Wha-? Popo?!"

"Nana! It's really you! Thank goodness…"

"Sigh… I never thought you can find me here despite the fact that I only gave you a vague location. By the way, who are those people behind you?"

Popo looks back briefly, then looks at Nana again to explain. "Those people? They're, um, travelers that I accompany."

"Huh?"

"Listen, Nana. You may feel suspicious, but this is really important. We're currently on a mission to find all key trophies so that Smash Tower can wipe out all anomalies which are the mysterious creatures that want to destroy our world. It may sound outrageous, but please... help us…"

"Key trophies? Smash Tower? Mysterious creatures?"

"I'm sorry that you have to listen to all of that, but we really need your help right now."

"Hmph. While I do quite understand about trophies and Smash Tower, I haven't seen any mysterious creatures that you claim they'll destroy this world… We live in a world where there are so many varieties of living creatures. If a creature is mysterious, I can just perform a research on it and determine if it's safe for other creatures or not. Simple as that."

"Nana… When I said 'mysterious creatures', I mean creatures that are not from this world at all…"

"Hm?"

"Nana, please. I know that it's too much for you to understand, but at least can we just get some more information about key trophies? I don't even have enough knowledge to share with those folks…"

Marth suddenly steps in, "Please, Nana. We also have someone who is desperate to rescue a trophy holder from the hands of, um, not-so-dead Captain Falcon…"

"Whoa, Marth. I didn't see you among those people. But wait… did you say Captain Falcon? And did you also say 'not-so-dead'? What's going on here?"

Samus begins to speak. "My friend, Luigi... He was taken away yet again by Falcon. Only this time, Falcon isn't really himself…"

Popo then explains further. "It's a long story, but the whole point about Falcon right now is that said mysterious creature has taken his form after he died long ago. Now that creature has more powers it can abuse, including manipulating time and space…"

"Hrm…" Nana begins thinking.

Meanwhile, Mario asks Popo, "The two of you look like twins. Is she your sister or something?"

"Um… I can't really say… That's really personal to me. Don't ask why. But one thing for sure is that our relationship is actually a really bitter one." Popo speaks nervously.

"Oh… okay… I shouldn't have asked."

"…It's alright."

Nana then says, "Alright. While I have no information on that so-called mysterious creature, I might be able to help you regarding trophies."

"…Can you help me find Luigi?" Samus asked.

Mario suddenly interrupts. "Samus. I don't think he's in this world or dimension anymore. The last time I got Donkey Kong to use our trophy to find Luigi during our trip, the light didn't point at anything. It just glowed."

Nana then says, "Mafia-looking plumber, that's just rude. While I don't know how that trophy of yours work, it's just impolite to say such harsh thing like that."

Mario is left speechless and slightly grumpy at Nana's comment, then Nana replies to Samus's question.

"It's alright, ma'am. I'm pretty sure that Luigi guy is still out there somewhere. Hopefully, he'll still be alive. I'm actually surprised that Falcon apparently died a long time ago. I've been focusing on exploring anyway. But from my explorations, I might be able to help you find him."

"Really? Thank you…"

"Okay, all of you. Let me get this straight. There are three problems, yes?"

The others nod.

"First, you need to know more about the key trophies. Secondly, you have to find someone named Luigi who happens to be one of the trophy holders. Thirdly, you have to deal with the mysterious creatures. Is that all that I need to know?"

Everyone in Samus's group nods again.

"Well then… Let's start with the first problem. Key trophies… I happened to learn about those. Those are special trophies that are apparently tied to certain people. Why do I know this? Because I happened to meet someone with a trophy before."

"What? Really? Who's that person?" Jeff asked.

"Unfortunately, I met that trophy holder a long time ago, so I don't have any clear memories of what said holder looks like… but I do remember one thing." Nana said.

"What is it?" Marth asked.

"Said trophy holder lives at a village somewhere on this island. This map provides the details." Nana holds out a piece of paper, which Popo accepts. The paper depicts a map of the island the group is in. There are multiple named locations written on it.

"I actually forgot which exact village, but I think it's the one deep in the forest." Nana points to a black dot near the center of the map.

"Thanks, Nana." Marth said.

"Alright. Now that the first problem should be able to be taken care of… somewhat, for the second one I think I'll use my exploration skills to find Luigi. Basically, when you're gone, I'm also on my way, albeit going to rescue Luigi instead of finding the trophy holder."

"…Are you sure you're going alone for that?" Samus is worried despite Popo trying to convince her that Nana has better exploring experience that most people.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. I've been at more severe conditions. I'm sure I can survive on my own."

"There you go again, Nana…" Popo mumbled.

"By the way, can you tell me what Luigi looks like? Name alone isn't enough, obviously."

Samus immediately says "Quite taller than Mario…" as she points to Mario for a brief moment. She then continues by saying, "…albeit now he wears a beret with a badge on it, a blue cape, blue jumpsuit and yellow boots."

"I see. Anything else?"

"Like me, he has brown hair, blue eyes, and a mustache." Mario said.

"Hm. I take it that he's your sibling?"

"Correct."

"Good to know. Hopefully I can reunite you pretty soon." Nana tried to cheer up Mario.

"…Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Now… as for the third problem… about the mysterious creatures… Popo, can you tell me what do they look like?"

"Um… they're blob-like, they tend to have beak-like features, they're divided into various colors… and they have a power of their own. Also, aside from trophies, there are no known ways to properly stop them…"

"I see… so I have to watch out for them, correct?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Now that everything has been settled, let's get to work, shall we? Once we're all done, we can meet again at this hut. Once again, don't worry about me, I can find my way back on my own."

Everyone else nods. After that, they all leave the hut and go on their own mission.

* * *

Samus's group enters the forest once again in order to find the village pointed by Nana. However, not long after they enter said forest, Roy suddenly decided to turn back. This prompts a question from Popo.

"Hey, Roy, why are you going back?"

"Well, um, I have a feeling that pink parka girl may need some help, so I decided to silently follow her. All of you can go ahead." Roy runs back right after he told the rest of the group.

"Roy! Wait!" Marth exclaimed, but Roy ignores him as he continues running.

"Perhaps we should leave him be. Maybe he is up to something." Jeff said to Marth.

"Well, let's continue our journey then." Popo said.

The seven travelers go deeper and deeper into the forest, getting closer to the chosen destination with each step. Along their journey, all they can see are trees and other sorts of plants. So far, it is mostly a peaceful journey, until…

*step*

Popo, who is leading the group now, manages to step on a hidden rope, which triggers a trap involving a huge net underneath the group, which captures all but Samus, who is slightly further back, but she ends up being grabbed and pulled by somebody else into the bushes.

"GAH! It's a trap!" Popo exclaimed.

"I shouldn't really trust this place…" Marth commented.

"I don't see Samus anywhere!" Jeff said.

"I think she didn't get caught in the same trap as us… but she might be kidnapped by somebody else… urk." Mario said.

"Not again…" Popo groaned.

Somewhere else in the forest, Samus gets up to see an anthropomorphic turtle-like thing standing in front of her. Said turtle-like thing seems to be a female. She wears a large pink bow with white polka-dots on her head, a red beaded necklace, golden bracelets on both wrists, and pink heels. Her shell is pink and has spikes.

"Ugh… who are you?"

"The name's Wendy. I'm the village's resident witch!"

"…You must be planning something sinister, aren't you?"

"What? No! Don't mistake me for somebody evil just because I'm a witch! In fact, being a witch here is a good thing!"

"I don't believe you. Where are my companions?!"

"Ugh… You're really quick to judge people by their looks, huh? Anyway, your companions? Well… they got in trouble. Must be that Meta Knight…"

"Meta Knight?"

"Sigh… Meta Knight is a long-time villager in the, well, nearby village. He has zero tolerance to outsiders because of a horrible past or something like that. As a result, the village rarely gets visitors. Even if we do get visitors, they usually end up being held hostage and more often than not… rotting in whatever place Meta Knight used to store his victims…"

"So… you actually saved me?"

"Yes. You're slightly lagging behind, so looks like you were lucky there."

"I guess… but I have to find them! Where's that village?!"

"Come follow me." Wendy shows Samus the way to the village, which is still on the same path as where Samus's group previously walked on.

After a little bit of trekking through the thick forest without triggering any traps, the two arrive at the village's gate. It is a rather small village. As soon as they enter the village, Samus begins to wonder about something.

"Something about this place seems to be familiar…"

"Huh?"

"Oh. It's nothing. I must be imagining it."

"Alright then. But… before we continue, I'd like to know your name. Forgive me for not asking."

"Eh. It's fine. I tend to encounter people like that. Anyway, my name's Samus."

"S-Samus?!"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Does your full name happen to be Samus Aran?!"

"Uh, yes. And how did you make such guess?"

"You see, Meta Knight has been uttering that name for a long time. Every time I'm keeping my eye on him, he's always like 'Samus, I'm still waiting for you' or something like that."

"How does he know my name anyway?"

"You might be acquainted with each other at one point in time…?"

"I… I don't know anyone named Meta Knight in my past."

"That's weird. Let's see if we can meet him in person."

As the two continue to walk, Samus notices a small house, around 30 square meters in area and around 5 meters in height. Its roof is red and its wall is turquoise. The house is surrounded by small wooden fences painted white. A monkey wearing a red cap and shirt can be seen relaxing on a chair in front of the house. Samus walks closer to the house, causing Wendy to stop on her tracks and follow Samus.

As Samus is staring at that particular house, Wendy asks, "Um. That's Diddy Kong's house. Actually, from what I heard, this used to belong to someone else a long time ago."

"Huh."

"Perhaps you can check the house again after meeting Meta Knight…"

"Oh. Right." Samus immediately focuses back on finding her companions and Meta Knight.

Now, Wendy takes Samus to what appears to be an entrance to a cellar. It is located behind a warehouse.

"Are you sure we can find the others here?" Samus asked.

"Not entirely sure. But Meta Knight's favorite place to store his victims is often this place, so we might as well check this place first."

"But it's locked. How are we supposed to enter?"

"Don't worry. I can use magic. Here I go." Wendy generates a ball of magic from between her palms and then directs it to the lock, somehow unlocking it.

After the two open the door to the cellar, they are immediately greeted with cries of help from Samus's companions, who are all tied up.

"Samus! You're here! We really need help now!" Jeff exclaimed.

"I thought we won't be rescued." Mario said.

And so, Samus and Wendy go down the cellar, only to be suddenly surprised by someone behind them. It is Meta Knight.

"You! Why are you in my cellar?!" the round masked creature said.

"Meta Knight! I'm sorry! I just want this woman's companions to be free! They mean no harm, sir!" Wendy replied.

"And who's that woman?" Meta Knight points to Samus.

"M-my name's Samus! I want you to release my allies!"

"Samus? ...Are you really her, Samus Aran?"

"…How did you even know my name in the first place? You're not affiliated with any armies, right?"

"What? No way! I know that name because the Samus I know is my childhood friend!"

"Childhood friend? Wha-?" Wendy is confused.

"Excuse me? I don't really remember anyone named Meta Knight, even in my childhood." Samus said.

"Don't you remember, Samus, when we used to get along in this little village… until that horrible invasion happened and you ended up having to live with the extraterrestrials out there because you lost your parents?!"

Samus then finally realizes something after that explanation.

"Now I remember… No wonder this place feels familiar… This was my place when I was a little girl…"

"Wha-? Am I really hearing this?" the tied-up Popo said.

"The house that I saw… it was my old house. Same paint color and everything. I'm surprised that it was finally rebuilt with nearly the same features."

"It was rebuilt that way so that I won't forget you, Samus. We got along well before." Meta Knight said.

"I believe I gave a nickname to a certain friend long time ago…"

"And that friend was me, Samus. When we were little, you chose the "Swordfighter" nickname for me… It has been a really long time… and you managed to forget nearly everything about this village that you used to live in… Whatever. It has been several years anyway."

"I… I'm sorry… I just… have so many thoughts in my head…"

"Meta Knight, so you really were friends back then…" Wendy said.

"That's right." Meta Knight replied.

"…I don't remember seeing you with a mask, so I can't really recognize you, Swordfighter." Samus said.

"Sigh. It's a long story. The truth is, this mask has been a part of me for years."

Samus is left speechless, while Wendy is unsure about what to say about the current situation. Suddenly, Marth says, "Come on! We just need to be untied! We can't stay like this!"

Noticing this, Samus asks Meta Knight, "…Swordfighter, I mean, Meta Knight, can you please just do us a favor and release all of these innocent people? We're in the middle of a really important journey right now, and I need their help."

"Are they really that trustworthy?" Meta Knight asked back.

"Yes, they are. I wouldn't have reached this far without them. Please, Meta Knight, release them."

Suddenly, silence. Meta Knight is thinking for a while, while Samus is getting more anxious.

"Fine. I'll release them. But if they end up harming the villagers, I'll have no hesitation on tying them up again and leaving them to die."

Meta Knight goes down the cellar and begins untying his victims, one by one. Samus and Wendy choose to stand on their spot and watch, in fear that Meta Knight might accuse them of bothering him if they choose to help out. Once all six of Samus's allies are untied, Meta Knight begins to question Samus.

"What brings you here now, aside from finding your companions?"

"We're looking for a trophy holder. That holder is said to live here." Samus answered.

"Trophy? Isn't that a figurine-like item with a gold round base?"

"Yes. Have you seen that trophy holder?!"

"I believe I've seen one. But unfortunately, that holder had moved out a long time ago."

"Hmm…"

Wendy then asks, "Samus, I don't understand about your current situation right now. What do you need that trophy holder for?"

"Look, we have to gather all the trophy holders in order to restore this world back to normal. This world is currently being infested by blob monsters that keep gaining power until they can destroy this world."

"Wow. I was never aware of that. I don't know that our world is in danger."

"Huh. I wish that you can stay in this village much longer, Samus. But I guess you're busy with your own thing…" Meta Knight said.

"I'm sorry, Meta Knight. But that's the current situation I'm having right now…"

Meta Knight then walks up to Samus.

"Samus, before you can go, I have to say, I never expected you to grow into a tall, beautiful and tough woman. If you think that what you're doing is good for this world, then go for it. I wish I can see you again after you're done. Stay safe out there."

"Thanks, little buddy. Anyway, do you know where that trophy holder moved to?"

"Unfortunately, I have no idea. But I'm sure you'll run into that person soon enough."

"Thanks for motivating us, Meta Knight. We'll do our best to find that person."

And so, Samus and company leave the cellar, leaving Meta Knight and Wendy behind. They then leave the village, now trying to find where the aforementioned trophy holder is.

## FLASHBACK 02: MEMORIES

_Running SubjectIndentifier…_

_…_

_Now loading…_

* * *

KRRZT… KRRZT…

Bzzt… bzzt…

.

..

…

I remember one heartwarming experience.

So heartwarming… it often moved me to tears every time I remember it…

It was one warm day near the cliff side.

I remember that place having a lone large tree…

I remember that place often being visited by butterflies of various colors…

I remember that place housing one of the most breathtaking sceneries of all time.

What breathtaking scenery, you ask?

Whenever I go there, I can see two mountains, with each top covered in snow.

Down the mountains, I can also see a very huge lake, which is as wide as one of those mountains.

Whenever the sun rises, it's as if it's coming out from between those mountains.

Now… about my experience…

There we were… sitting on a white picnic blanket.

We, you ask?

Yes, there were three of us up there.

We were just relaxing, admiring the scenery…

Then, our dear caretaker began to sing.

_Let there be peace~_

_Let there be peace~_

_Let us be free~_

_Like the butterflies flying 'round this tree~_

She then hummed. What a beautiful, soothing voice.

I used to be happy by just listening to her singing.

Now that experience often leaves me with a fuzzy feeling.

…

But one day, our caretaker decided to join the war…

She said her parting words, "Take care of yourselves. Be strong. Be brave. Let my words be your source of motivation. If you really miss me, just look at that trophy of mine. Let that trophy too be your source of motivation."

The two of us who didn't go could only bid farewell. We actually didn't want her to leave us, and we still don't now.

…

…

…

But alas, she, Princess Zelda, perished in that horrible war…

KRRZT… KRRZT…

Bzzt… bzzt…

Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

_Subject identified!_

_Subject #2092_

_Begin questioning subject…_

.

..

…

_\- Name? -_

"Mario. And my buddy's name is Donkey Kong."

_\- Do you believe in world peace? -_

"Yes…

…

…

…

…and no."

KRRZT… KRRZT…

Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

Krrrrrrrrrr…

Bzzt… bzzt…

## END


	9. The War Victor and the Wandering Princess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caution: Research failure.

Six key trophies…

One lone Smash Tower…

They're linked together, but the trophies are said to be forbidden.

Why, you ask?

According to the legend, the six key trophies are intentionally hidden in various parts of the world. Parts of the world where it's nearly impossible to be reached no matter how clever, powerful, or lucky the person is. These trophies are never meant to be put in Smash Tower. Even hardened criminals and purely evil people know not to mess with the Smash Tower and its trophies, especially the tower's key trophies. It is said that the unthinkable might happen if all six key trophies are placed in Smash Tower's special chamber. What unthinkable thing? Something probably equivalent to early apocalypse. Nobody wants that happening so soon. We all want to live to our fullest.

But that's not the point of me explaining this. The six key trophies… they're actually placed if they're needed. That's the only exception. Considering their possible effect, the world has to be in utter jeopardy for the key trophies to be actually needed. The legend also says that if such case happens, the living trophies begin to rise and begin looking for the hidden key trophies. But here's the catch: The key trophies will only take effect if they're held by people who are determined enough to eliminate whatever that brought doom to the world. They also have to accept the fact that the unthinkable has to happen in order to restore our world to its healthy self.

So far… I have yet to find the trophy holders. But I have to. I really have to meet them and accompany them.

The reason, you ask? Once again, the legend speaks that simply placing the trophies inside the tower isn't enough. One person has to sing a special song, which will undo the final lock and activate the key trophies' effect.

No wonder people don't bother trying to unleash the key trophies' true power. Aside from the reasons I mentioned before, the whole process of triggering said power sounds way too convoluted. Seriously, no one has ever found a single key trophy all by themselves. Living trophies are always the ones who discover it first and then give it to someone worthy enough to hold it. And if the world was at peace, there's no point as there's no large-scale danger.

Now, about the key trophies themselves. Each one represents a certain quality, and said quality will help the worthy holder during the journey to find the other trophy holders and Smash Tower. Even if the holder doesn't seem to be suited for the trophy, the trophy itself knows the holder's true intention. Currently, the world has many wars happening, so it's expected that some people wish for world peace. But only those who are determined enough to reach said conclusion will be granted a key trophy.

Lastly, about the song. This song is sung after all key trophies are placed in Smash Tower. Only very few people were taught about it and how to sing it, just to avoid a worst case scenario, even if it's near-impossible. One of those people? Me.

I know many of these things because I was told about this world's legends, among other things, back when I was preparing myself to be a princess. I have to know a lot of things, even legends related to Smash Tower.

I've been blabbering to myself too much, huh? As if I'm talking to a certain audience, but they actually don't exist? I'm just speaking my mind, just to remind me that I have work to do. Now, I'm the last known person to have knowledge of the song, and I'll have to sing it. This world is getting unstable each day, but I won't give up in my search for the trophy holders. I know, for sure, that I'll run into them eventually.

When I meet them, I'll let them know, that I'm the princess that will accompany them to the very end of this journey! My name? It's classified in order to protect myself from unwanted things. I do have a codename, however.

"Villager".

* * *

Meanwhile, the wars have come to an end as more important issues are rising. As the world's slight distortion becomes more noticeable, every war participant decides to just ditch their duties and forget that the horrible wars ever happened. Between all this, there is only one instance of victory and loss.

In the middle of a ravaged jungle, a base stands by with one lookout watching over the war scene. The Bob-omb army, formerly part of Falcon's, has been reduced to just a single Bob-omb after the others have been destroyed. Said Bob-omb finally meets its demise when a thin metal pipe is hurled towards it, knocking it out and triggering its self-destructing mechanism. The soldier who destroyed the Bob-omb is fortunately hiding at a fair distance away from it, finally securing victory without the soldier himself having to be sacrificed.

The lookout then reports back to the general.

"Sir. The last Bob-omb has been destroyed." the lookout said.

"Any other possible threats?" the general asked.

"According to my radar, negative."

"…Looks like we have finally reached this war's conclusion."

Suddenly, another soldier bursts through the door. He appears to be in a hurry.

"Sir!" the anxious soldier said.

"What is it now?!" the general said.

"I'm here to report two things!"

"…Fine. Tell us."

"First, I got word that other wars have ended recently with no victors. The participants of those wars have decided to form a research community in order to investigate the cause of our world's instability and a way to anticipate the apocalypse."

"Grr… I can't believe you're this late in reporting this!"

"My apologies, sir! I encountered some problems on my way back here… which brings us to the second report."

"Hmph. What is it?"

"It's the Sergeant, sir! Sergeant Luigi has been spotted!"

"Luigi…? I haven't heard that name for quite a long time…"

"Back then, we all thought that he died when he was tasked to storm Captain Falcon's lair. But it turns out that wasn't the case."

"Where did you spot him?"

"Not far from here. In fact, he was…"

Luigi suddenly shows up behind the reporting soldier. He appears to wear a beige army uniform and his trademark green hat.

"…following me… back here." the reporting soldier suddenly stops talking once he realizes that Luigi has arrived.

The soldier and the lookout then give a salute. Luigi salutes them back. He then approaches the general and salutes him. The general salutes him back before telling him, "I can't believe it. Sergeant Luigi… I thought you were dead a long time ago…"

Luigi stays silent.

"The last time you were dispatched to an enemy location, you left no living traces. With no report left for a long time, we assumed that you were dead. After all, it's not helped by the fact that your companions were found dead later."

Luigi still stares at the general.

"Anyway, we're glad to have you back. Even though the war is now over and the fact that your time as a sergeant becomes really short because of that, you're still welcome."

The reporting soldier then tells the general, "Excuse me, sir, but I believe we should assemble our own research team as soon as possible."

"Oh. Right. We have to investigate our world's anomaly. But first things first, let our other men know about this and then we can gather everyone and begin our research." the general said.

"Affirmative."

However, little do they know that the Luigi they have been looking for has a little anomaly of his own. No one notices his pale, black eyes that are obviously unlike his normal blue eyes.

* * *

Deep in a forest in an unknown region, a female teenager with pink hair, sparkly black eyes, light red triangular nose, light red shirt with a daisy print on it, striped blue and white socks, and red shoes is walking alone. As she walks, she hums some kind of song.

"Hm-hm, hm-hmm~ Hm-hm, hm-hmm~"

Suddenly, she spots a pair of floating orbs of light, one purple and one covering only the two-dimensional plane. She decides to approach them while thinking, "Lost spirits…? Are these what my mentor used to talk about? I've never seen them before, but I'll walk closer, just in case if my thought is true."

Once she is a few steps closer to the lights, the lights begin to float toward her, surprising her.

"Maybe… they are the lost spirits… I was right!" she thought.

When the lights are floating near her face, she says, "You two… I wonder who you were before you ended up like this."

The lights stop moving briefly, then one of them, the purple light, floats near her ear, as if to whisper something.

After "listening" to the light, the teen gasps in horror. Both lights are Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch, Luigi's fallen allies. The purple light, Mewtwo, has told her the cause of the duo's death.

"So you're telling me that you two died in a war because of a mission gone wrong around a year ago? There were originally three of you, but only one somehow managed to survive?"

The lights float up and down as if they are nodding.

"That was a horrible way to go… but… have any of you seen the lone survivor even in this form? I don't know why I'm asking this… something just intrigued me."

The lights float up and down again.

"…Really? When was the last time you saw him?"

Mewtwo's spirit whispers to her ear again.

"I see, so it was a long time ago, though you couldn't mention the specific time. He was with a woman in another forest, said forest got ruined when you two got back later, and you finally lost sight of him even though you saw the woman again briefly before leaving again. Is that what I can gather from your explanation?"

The two lights float up and down in response. Then, Mewtwo's spirit floats towards the teen again and whispers once more.

"Huh? What intrigued me to ask you this? Um… I don't know if telling you this is a good idea or not…"

The lights float in place.

"Listen, both of you. I can't just randomly tell this, even to lost spirits."

Mewtwo's spirit then whispers to her once again, trying to convince her that they can help her out.

"You two… I guess we have the same goal. Then again, you died in a seemingly important mission. Okay, I'll tell you."

The lights still float in front of her.

"My current duty right now is to find people holding key trophies. From that, those people and I can then round up the others before we go inside Smash Tower. There, my role is needed the most because once all key trophies are placed, I have to sing a special song that I have learned and mastered. Once everything's done, hopefully whatever is causing the world's instability can be eradicated fully. So, in short, I need the trophy holders in order to save the world."

The lights float up and down again, as if they understood her situation.

"However, since I don't know anyone else who has mastered the song, I often feel myself in constant danger. That's why I can't tell my mission to random people…"

Both lights then whisper to her. The teen becomes delighted after hearing that.

"Oh. So you'll join me to help find those trophy holders? Thank you! However, we have to keep ourselves low until we can get a trophy holder for company. Remember my fear I mentioned before…"

The lights float in front of her and "nod" once again.

"I'm glad you understand. By the way, just in case if you want to address me by name, just call me 'Villager'. I don't want anyone else know my real name because… once again… my fear…"

After that little encounter, Villager and her new companions then travel through the forest, continuing the search for the trophy holders. Unbeknownst to them, however, the sinister-looking, black-eyed Luigi has been watching them from the bushes the whole time.

"Trophies… Smash Tower… Villager…"

Luigi then leaves his spot.


	10. Aftermath

In the different part of the woods, a black blob-like being is slowly slithering on the ground before it starts to transform, taking the form of Captain Falcon once again. This time, however, the blob creature can not fully reform as the shapeshifting process just ends before one of Falcon's eyes is completed, leaving said eye, his right eye, hanging from his eye socket. Not only that, Falcon's trademark red helmet is not formed at all.

"No… after using all that power… I can't even take this form properly…" Falcon said.

The impostor then looks around, making sure that no one else is seeing him. Other than trees and a nearby abandoned house, there's no one else but Falcon.

"At least I'm still in the clear. I guess it was the perfect decision to use this place as my new base."

Falcon then walks inside the abandoned house. From the outside, it is a small house made of stone. Its roof is still present, but there are holes here and there. The walls are cracked because of the nature's work. Its windows have no glass. Meanwhile, on the inside, the place almost lacks any furniture aside from a chair and a desk. In the same room as the chair and desk, there is a box at the corner, presumably used to store supplies.

In one small room, however, there's Falcon's captive, Luigi. He still retains his beret, blue cape, blue jumpsuit, and yellow boots. He is currently tied up, on a sitting position, leaning by the wall, unconscious.

Upon seeing the helpless Luigi, Falcon says, "Yep, just as I thought. This place is indeed perfect for my new base. An abandoned house in the middle of nowhere… no one can easily find me here."

Falcon then walks to the room with the chair, desk, and box. There, he notices that the place is getting dark as at the outside, the sun is setting. Since the house has no electricity, he decides to check the box for matches and candles. Among several sheets of paper and a map, Falcon finds a match and a candle. He then proceeds to lit the match and, with that, the candle. After that, he places the candle on a yellow cup on the desk.

"Hmph. I guess I'll have to survive using firewood the next day, but that can attract other people easily compared to this small candle. …I'll take back my words. This place isn't really perfect."

Falcon then looks back at the box. The papers and the map catch his attention. He decides to check the box again, grabbing about three pieces of paper and the map before noticing that there is a pencil in the box. He takes the pencil as well. After that, he puts everything he collected on the desk and begins to think, all while staring at the open world map. Before he can proceed to examine the map, however, he considers his hanging right eye to be distracting, so he tears it off then checks the box again for something that can cover his now-empty eye socket. He finds a bandage there, which he proceeds to wrap around his head, covering his right eye socket. Once he is done, Falcon then walks back to the desk and sits on the chair.

"Hmm… even with a map, I still can't tell where I am right now. But perhaps, I can carry this with me. Who knows if I can finally match my position with this map's location."

Falcon then looks at the map thoroughly before saying, "Hm. The world is bigger than I thought. Let's see… from the names given to these continents… there are a total of… seven? Looks more like six. Hmm…"

After a brief silence, Falcon then says, "Once I get the idea about where I am and where my enemies are, I can finally make use of this for surprise attacks. However… unlike before… I'm now all by myself. I have yet to find my kind ever since I've captured Luigi once again. Planning this through will be difficult. What to do…?"

After thinking briefly, Falcon decides not to focus on the map for the time being. Instead, he grabs the pencil and one of the papers, preparing to write down notes.

While writing and scribbling on the paper, Falcon thinks, "Luigi is a strange subject. I'm sure he got influenced by my kind, but his case is… different. He still looks normal, but his evil side has been lying inside him for a long time. But making that evil side appear requires some sort of trigger. A psychological one. The first time he went 'feral', it happened after the loss of his allies, which left him alone against my army. The second time, it's after watching that woman being injured horribly by my Beedrill. When he was my captive after that, his evil influence began to show more often, though he still could restrain it. However, thanks to that influence, I could force him to act against his wishes. The last time before now, I could keep him in his evil state after constant abuse. The conclusion is that only after breaking him down both physically and mentally I could manage a total control over him. So… the trigger has to do with some sort of traumatic experience, probably equivalent to experiencing being a soldier at the front lines or worse. I guess it's also helped by the fact that he was alive when he got influenced by my kind, unlike myself. I just took the form of a long-dead person and use some of his memories to my advantage."

Falcon switches to another paper.

"However… even with my total control, that woman, no, the trophy she was holding that time, if Luigi's assumption is correct, managed to snap him out of my control. If that's really the case… I have to destroy those trophies. If I can put him under my command once again, I will be able to extract more of his dark energy and possibly turn him into an unstoppable abomination. The ultimate goal of my kind is to destroy this world and make it our own. Those trophies should not remain in this world. Indeed… as the first step… the trophies have to be destroyed."

Before Falcon switches to the last paper on the desk, a figure shorter than him approaches from behind. It is the black-eyed Luigi, who is actually Luigi's impostor. Hearing his footsteps, Falcon looks back to see him.

"Huh. So you came back. What's your report?" Falcon asked.

"This report is about Luigi's identity. Luigi was a new sergeant for his army. When Luigi was kept captive by your army for a long time, Luigi's army promptly declared him dead. Now, Luigi's army is no longer involved in wars and instead focuses on preventing or anticipating this world's complete calamity. Other armies have done the same. Their plan can put us into disadvantage, so I promptly removed the entirety of Luigi's army from existence." the Luigi impostor replied in a monotone voice.

"Interesting… even though you seem to be unable to do the same to other armies, I can understand your case. Our powers are still limited regardless of how powerful we are right now."

"There is another report."

"Hm?"

"There is someone who is looking for trophy holders. Her real name is classified, but she goes by the codename 'Villager'. Villager needs the trophy holders before she can go to a place called Smash Tower. There, the trophies and Villager's song are required to avert the complete calamity."

"Now that's some tasty information. Did you erase her as well?"

"No, I didn't. For some reason, a mysterious force kept me from performing a sneak attack on her."

"Mysterious force…? I wonder what that is… But whatever that is, it should be eliminated so that Villager's plan will fail. For now, you may rest. I have some planning to do."

Without speaking, the Luigi impostor melts into the same black goo substance that shaped the Falcon impostor. The substance then goes into the room where Luigi is kept and enters his body from his right ear.

* * *

Samus opens her eyes. She slowly rolls her eyes to look at her surroundings. The place she is in now seems awfully familiar. It seems to be a castle's ballroom, and there is a couple dancing not far away from her. A young teen and a little girl in a small mech can also be seen chatting with each other. She is at first confused, as the last time she ended up in such a place, there was nobody around her until Falcon showed up. She then looks at herself. To her horror, she's donning the same fancy pink gown like said event. Instead of panicking, she decides to take her time to analyze her surroundings more.

Firstly, the ballroom is the exact same as the one in Falcon's lair. Same yellow-themed room and everything, down to the lone throne and the balcony, features that she recalled from the first time she ended up in Falcon's place.

Secondly, despite the near-similar situation, the only difference so far is the presence of the dancing couple and the chatting youngsters. Samus then comes into a horrific realization when she focuses on the dancing couple. The couple consists of a female Mii person dressed in blue and a muscular man with a red helmet, blue outfit, and yellow gloves and boots. The latter person… it is Falcon. Samus then darts her sight to the youngsters, one of them she is familiar with. The male young teen, despite his formal-looking clothing, has distinctive features that Samus can easily recall. His innocent-looking black bead eyes and youthful face, as well as his black hair, remind her of Ness, one of Falcon's henchmen. However, her group's last encounter with him ends with him dying in Falcon's lair, while here, Ness is alive and well. Not only that, he does not display any signs of delinquency.

Amidst her confusion, Samus is suddenly surprised by a call coming from behind her.

"Samus…"

The woman looks behind her. It is Luigi. And like the past event, he is wearing a typical prince outfit.

"You seem confused. Sorry that I'm late. So… how about a dance like that couple over there? It's okay if you can't dance. We're here to have a good time."

Samus thinks for a bit. This Luigi is a bit different. While he is still looking like his usual, happy-go-lucky self, Samus is surprised that he does not seem to be holding a grudge against Falcon now. The woman begins to raise her suspicion.

"…Are you okay, Samus?" Luigi breaks her train of thought. Samus, however, is still left speechless. Luigi then takes her hand while saying, "I already said to you that it's okay if you can't dance. As long as you're happy with me, bad dancing won't ruin the moment for me."

Luigi and Samus then begin their slow dancing, a bit further from the other couple and the youngsters. Somehow, Samus can place her dancing steps near-perfectly, even though she is never trained in slow dances like this. It is as if her body movement is separate from her mind. Samus, however, makes use of this to think more about this implausible situation.

"…Did I get captured again? …Is this Falcon's work taking effect on me? But… even if he, or whatever shaped Falcon now, decided to attack me in my sleep, this is still impossible." Samus thought.

Samus turns her sight to the Mii and Falcon.

"Falcon here is… different. He doesn't seem to be interested in making me or Luigi suffer. He's stuck dancing just like Luigi and I…"

Samus then looks at the two youngsters while still dancing.

"That kid over there… he can't be alive anymore. While Mario and Popo got stuck in Falcon's place, they were protected by a trophy. He wasn't. And that girl in the strange machine… is that his friend? I've never seen her before…"

Suddenly, a quick realization finally rises.

"No! If this is very unreal, this HAS to be a dream!"

With Samus's last thought, her surroundings begin to spin around before fading away. It ends with Samus, back in the real world, suddenly jolting awake.

The woman looks around. Her companions are still asleep. Her group has been camping in the woods for quite a while. It is currently night, though the bright bonfire accompanies her group in the darkness.

"That was quite a dream… But then again, I've had stranger dreams before this." Samus thought.

Since it is still night and the others are in deep sleep, Samus decides to not bother them until morning.

"…I'll ask Popo about this later." Samus thought before going back to sleep.

* * *

There exists one special key trophy. Unlike the other five, this trophy's power is influenced by literally anyone that grabs ahold of it, not just people who are worthy of so. If the person who holds it has good intentions, the trophy will lighten up the path for the holder's final goal and can even help other key trophy holders by doing the same, albeit drawing them to this key trophy. However, if this trophy's holder has bad intentions, the trophy will be imbued with dark powers and may cause catastrophe if the holder knows how to make use of it. Because of those reasons, this key trophy is often described as "the trophy of light and darkness".

What does this trophy look like? For starters, right above its round base, there is another, smaller round base, as if it is tiered. On said smaller base, there is a tall glass dome, making it look like some sort of a container. Underneath the glass, a multi-colored light obscures what appears to be a silhouette that looks like a human child. Said human figure has glowing yellow eyes.

This key trophy is also unique compared to the others because of how difficult it is to be found by the living trophies. Not even Roy, the living trophy that represents space, can locate it as easily. While this changes nothing of the fact that all key trophies are difficult to find on purpose, this particular key trophy's dark implications still remain, meaning that once it's taken out from its hiding place and given to a mortal, the world will end up in a massive gamble. Either the trophy will be used for good or cause a much earlier apocalypse.

Supposedly, this key trophy is used to test not only how worthy the person is of holding it, but also whether he or she is able to stay on the correct moral path before Smash Tower's true power is awakened. Basically, if the holder ends up starting a conflict that can hinder the other key trophy holders' journey, the whole journey will be pointless. This extends to the world's fate. No point in waiting until full recovery if one person's bad intentions cause instant calamity. This is why world recovery via Smash Tower is a very dangerous mission, with an unthinkable result on top of that if it succeeds.

Aside from that, the other goal of the holder of this particular trophy is to be the voice of reason, a well-meaning assistant to the other holders, hence the moral symbolism contained in that trophy and why the Assist Trophy figure is depicted on it.

So far, no one has yet to actually grab ahold of this key trophy, as it hasn't been discovered yet by the living trophies. Only time will tell when it'll be found. And once it is found and given to a mortal, the world's fate will begin to teeter between staying mostly stable and its apparent doom.

* * *

Samus opens her eyes once again. She is now in some kind of featureless dark green void. Like in her previous dream, she is wearing a pink gown. Other than that, the only person floating in front of her is Luigi, who is now wearing the Falcon-themed attire like the last time she saw him in the real world.

Samus begins to think of this situation as a dream, but unlike before, it does not result in her waking up. Instead, there is a long silence between said thought and her realization that she can not stop the dream with the same way as before.

Feeling disappointed, she begins to look at Luigi's face, which has blood red tears dripping from his eyes. Naturally, she begins to feel slightly uneasy, fearing a sudden jump into nightmare. However, Luigi instead starts hugging her.

"Am I… a demon… to you…?" Luigi said while sobbing.

While still staying as calm as she can, Samus replies with, "…Demon? …What makes you think so?"

"The blood from my eyes… I think it's a proof."

"…What proof?"

"That I'm a bloodthirsty demon hell-bent on killing others! I joined the war, and then got influenced by Falcon's own evil. War is hell… and I'm part of it. I am a demon!"

Samus begins tearing up. She then hugs him back, forgetting the fact that she is still dreaming.

"Listen to me, Luigi… Every war… every fight… whether you like it or not… will always come with a cost. Before I retired from my job as a bounty hunter, I was responsible for multiple alien killings. While I had a purpose in doing so, doing such job mostly alone has cost me my trust on nearly everyone. I'm sure you had a purpose too, but you just couldn't bear the horrible experience. I'm guessing the whole thing cost you your own innocence."

"So… I have to accept the fact… that I ended up being a terrifying killer?"

"No, Luigi. I haven't finished talking yet. You see… once I retired and decided to focus on research, I managed to feel at peace. Basically, I've moved on, even though the process isn't that instant. I was still isolated for some time until I met you, and I slowly began to open up. So… if you're aware of what horrible things you've done before, you have to try to make up for it… by doing something not of that level… in order to move on from your traumatic experience."

"But, Samus…"

"I know that I'm currently involved in a dangerous journey, but if the other choice is to watch our world getting destroyed, I have no choice but to go along. I'm sure that, once the world's troubles have been dealt with, we can all live our life like normal and do anything that brings peace to our heart and mind."

"S-Samus…"

"Luigi, you're a kind person despite the presence of your evil form. Think about it. If the world is restored to its healthy state and your evil form is fully eradicated, do you want to do more good again?"

"…Y-yes… I… w-want to do more good again!"

"Despite your faults, as long as you do something that comforts your heart and mind, you don't have to feel guilty all the time."

The crying Luigi simply nods before hugging Samus again.

* * *

It is now early morning. Still dark, but a bit brighter than the actual night. Samus is the last to wake up among her group. The others are preparing some breakfast.

"Hey. Yawn… You finally woke up." Popo said, still partially awake.

Samus just looks at the boy, who is placing some fruits on a large leaf.

"You must be surprised that we have to wake up this early. You see, Link wanted us to move quick, as we can no longer stay in the same spot anymore."

"…I see."

"So… um, enjoy some early breakfast while we're at it." Popo smiled.

Meanwhile, Mario and Donkey Kong are telling Link that they have to excuse themselves from the camp. They mentioned something about a nearby beach and having a feeling that they should go there. Instead of allowing them to go, Link instead wants them to be accompanied. So, the two have no choice but to go visit said beach while being accompanied by Link. Marth and Jeff happen to be eavesdropping on the trio, so they decide to give chase, leaving only Samus and Popo at the camp.

"Hm. There must be something important. Should we follow them?" Popo asked.

"Popo…" Samus said.

"Hm?"

"…Mind if I ask you something first?"

"But… we're left by the others."

Samus remains silent. Noticing that she is actually feeling uneasy, Popo can not help but let Samus ask her question.

"Sigh… Fine. What do you want to ask?" Popo gave in.

"…It's about my dreams." Samus said.

"Dreams? You dreamed more than once last night?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me more?"

"Hrm… Remember when we ended up in Falcon's place for the first time? That's the first dream was like."

"So… you were dreaming of a past event?"

"However, there are some differences. While I did see Falcon in that dream, he was only… dancing. With a partner, a woman that I have never seen before. I also saw one of Falcon's henchmen, though he was busy chatting with a girl in a mech, once again someone that I have never met. Meanwhile, I got stuck dancing with Luigi."

"Huh. Interesting, even though it's a bit funny. No signs of threat?"

"No. The dream went on without turning into a nightmare. I finally woke up once I realized it was all a dream in my thoughts."

"I see. So you were lucid dreaming then?"

"Kind of."

"Hm… I didn't know you suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. Then again, I was in a deep sleep, so…"

"I understand that. Anyway, about the second dream… Yes, I just dreamed twice last night. This dream… it only involves me and Luigi. He was crying tears of blood."

Popo gasped in response.

Samus then continues her story. "All I remember was that he was blaming himself for causing many deaths in the wars he participated in. He claimed himself to be a demon. So… I basically consoled him. Even though it all happened in a dream, it felt like as if I'm actually speaking with the real Luigi."

"Miss Samus… um… I guess you really wish for him to be always on your side…" Popo said.

"Hate to admit, pretty much. You see, Popo, after a long time of isolation in a forest, busy with my own things, the first person I met since then is Luigi. The way he's trying to stay happy even in the middle of wilderness and my completely broken-down ship… it somehow indirectly paved my way to get out from my own isolation. Even though I ended up getting involved in many problems, my current motivation is fueled by Luigi's presence in my memory."

Popo smiles a little bit, then says, "Miss Samus. It's no wonder that you're desperate in finding Luigi. But don't worry, we'll find him as soon as possible. I'm sure he's desperate for you coming for his rescue too."

"…Thank you, Popo."

"No problem."

"…By the way, here's my question. Actually, now that I think about it, I have more than one question."

"Hm?"

"That woman that I saw dancing with Falcon… what does she represent? Also, why did I see one of Falcon's henchmen even though he's already dead? Lastly, who is that strange girl in the mech?"

"Oh, yeah. Those people… My only assumption of that particular henchman is that you still have some memories of him that ended up being brought to life in your dream."

"That's a possibility. However, he's acting like a normal, chatty kid in my dream. No threats as well."

"Uh-huh. There must be something in your mind that caused you to project him as being a regular kid in your dream."

"Probably. I don't know what it is if that's the case, though."

"Now, about the two unknown people. Can you tell me what do they look like?"

"If my memory serves right, the woman in my dream has a long brown hair and black eyes. Kind of generic."

"Hm… that makes identifying her difficult, but oh well, she's just part of your dream. Dreams often have that. Now, how about the girl?"

"The girl… she looks more like a baby. Or a toddler. I don't know. She has pink hair and her mech has a drill in front of it."

"That seems more unique. Hopefully we can run into her someday if such person exists. Who knows if she has a clue of some kind."

Suddenly, Marth comes back to the camp to call the two.

"Samus! Popo! You two have to see this! Come follow me!" Marth exclaimed.

"Where?!" Popo asked.

"The nearby beach! Come on!" Marth said before leaving the camp again.

Without a second thought, both Samus and Popo get up from their sitting position and then go after Marth.


	11. Trophy Spirit

When Marth, Samus, and Popo arrive at the beach, everyone else in their group is in awe at the view. The sun is slowly rising, but that is not the main focus. It is the fact that their surroundings have turned purple. The sky, the ocean, every part of the natural environment. Not only that, there is a floating, pink furless cat-like creature with a long tail. Its blue eyes are staring at the group.

"I… can't believe it…" Mario said.

As Samus has just arrived, she whispers Marth a question, "What is that?"

"I… didn't get a complete detail because I dashed back to where you were as soon as that thing appeared in front of us." Marth whispered back.

"Could it be…?" Popo mumbled.

The pink cat-like creature then replies to Mario, "Yes, Mario, Donkey Kong. I am your representation of the trophy you're holding. I represent the world's rebirth."

"I'm… not really buying into this nonsense…" Mario said.

The cat-like creature floats toward Mario and tells him, "I understand. Originally, this trophy was supposed to be held by somebody else. But you have to take responsibility now."

"Somebody else… must be Zelda…"

The others are surprised. They have never heard of Zelda's name before this.

"Correct." the creature said.

Marth then suddenly asks, "Not to be rude, but Mario, who is Zelda?"

Mario glances at Marth, then tells him, "Zelda… was a princess who took care of Donkey Kong and I after we lost our home a long time ago…"

"Was?"

"Yes, she's a victim of the war… And it hurt us on a personal level."

"I… I feel bad for you. Until now, you haven't told us about her."

"I was supposed to not bring that up just so we can concentrate on our mission, but now… I have no choice but to tell…"

The cat-like creature then talks to Mario again. "My apologies for making you bring up your past, but this has to be known. Also, there is a reason why even though the original holder passed away, you two are worthy for being the new holders of the Smash Ball trophy."

"Sigh… well then. Tell us about it." Mario said.

"First of all, once a key trophy has gained its worthy holder, normally its powers will not be usable except by the holder or the living trophies, the latter in case if the trophy got separated from the owner. So far, the only exception is your trophy, Mario. Since Zelda, the original holder, passed away, I decided that you and Donkey Kong are worthy of replacing Zelda. The reason is because you two regard Zelda highly even after her death, and deep in your heart, I sense your desire for world peace, just like Zelda."

Donkey Kong nods in understanding, while Mario says, "I see. So you can also read our deepest desires…"

"That is the key trophies' ability, after all." the creature said.

"However… I wonder… Aside from telling me this, is there any other reason why you decided to show up in front of us?" Mario asked.

"As a representation of the world's rebirth, I have to tell you about what will happen should you place all key trophies inside Smash Tower."

"…Well then. Explain."

"Once all conditions are met, the Smash Tower will unleash its true power and wipe out all the interdimensional anomalies that threaten this world. However… this comes at a cost."

"What is it?"

"The world will be reset to the point before those anomalies began to show up, but without those anomalies. Basically, the current timeline will be destroyed and you will live in a brand new timeline. This will result in you forgetting all the current events after the anomalies started to show up…"

"Hm… I guess I can take that… as long as I don't have to-"

"I can't accept this." Samus cut off Mario mid-sentence.

The creature then focuses its sight on Samus. Mario and the others also suddenly look back at her.

"Hm… now what's your problem with this, I wonder?" the creature asked politely.

"I… I am not ready to have my memories of Luigi erased. Even though meeting him in a new timeline is still possible, what if I'll never get to see him again? I'm still not ready to leave Luigi forever!" Samus begins to sob.

"I'm… sorry?"

Mario then explains the situation while also revealing the creature's name in the process. "Mew, Samus here is emotionally attached to my lost brother. Not to mention that she has been going through rough times, so seeing my brother is the only thing that can cheer her up."

"I see… but look at it this way. A possibility is still a possibility. If the new timeline allows her to meet your brother again, I'm sure they can start a new relationship again. But then again, none of us have the power to return lost memories caused by the world reset. If you want whatever anomaly threatening this world to be gone, there's no other choice but to activate Smash Tower's hidden power."

Mario and the others can only look at the sad Samus. Having her know about the whole Smash Tower issue is not a good idea.

Trying to calm Samus down, Mew floats near her and pats her shoulder while saying, "I apologize for letting you down, but that's the truth. However, hopefully the world reset is kind to you and you can find and befriend Luigi easily in the new timeline. Hopefully… the world reset won't ruin true love."

Samus stops crying, but is left speechless. She is surprised at the mention of "true love". She wonders if her uncomfortable feeling is actually a sign of that or her past dreams have something to do with it. Either way, she is completely perplexed.

Mew then floats back to the shore before looking back at Mario's group and saying, "It seems that my time has run out. As a Spirit Pokémon, I can't stay like this for too long. I will return back to the Smash Ball trophy."

"Mew! Before you return…" Mario said. "…I have to ask, why did you decide to show up at this time?"

"I'll only decide to expose myself whenever I feel like it, tee-hee. Also, it's about time that you learn more about Smash Tower." Mew smiles before converting itself into light and returning to the Smash Ball trophy.

After Mew left, the environment turns back to normal. The sky is blue with a mix of orange and yellow from the sunrise, while the sea is merely blue.

"Mario, I really can't believe it. I still can't. But I just saw a Spirit Pokémon with my own eyes!" Popo exclaimed.

"Huh? You mean Mew?" Mario is confused.

"Yes. Before this, I thought Spirit Pokémon are mere myth and have nothing to do with trophies. Turns out it's not the case now. You see, according to the myth, there exists five Spirit Pokémon whose purpose for existing is unknown. Unlike most Pokémon, these Pokémon can speak to non-Pokémon living things using telepathy!"

"Hmm… If that myth turns out to be true, and the fact that Mew represents Mario's trophy… I can conclude that the other trophies we're holding might contain a Spirit Pokémon as well. How to make them appear… I don't even know." Jeff said.

"About making them appear… I honestly have no idea too. Before Mew revealed itself, I felt as if my mind was being manipulated. But I was still fully aware somehow. I guess that's why I decided to tell Link that I was excusing myself from the camp." Mario explained. Donkey Kong nods.

"Keep in mind that, according to the myth, all Spirit Pokémon belong to the Psychic element. So, it's only a matter of fact that these creatures utilize mind powers, including telepathy and mind manipulation." Popo said.

"Now things are getting more interesting. If we can make other Spirit Pokémon appear from the other two trophies, we can seek out more answers." Marth said.

"That would be a good idea, but right now I don't feel any signs of having my mind manipulated." Jeff said.

"One more thing to note. Remember when I said that there are five Spirit Pokémon according to the myth? If the number is true somehow, then that means there are five key trophies in total!" Popo said.

"It may or may not be true, kid. The only way to find out is by continuing our journey to find the rest of the trophy holders. Aside from that, I'm still wondering if there's an additional condition aside from the trophies in order to actually unleash Smash Tower's true power…" Mario said.

"…Good point. We have to keep moving. Who knows if the longer we travel, the more likely that the Spirit Pokémon will expose themselves to us and provide more answers."

The sun is getting higher up.

"Hm. The day's getting brighter. Let's check our camp first before we move." Mario said.

"Not to mention, we forgot to have our early breakfast. Let's eat first before planning our next move." Marth said.

"Agreed."

And so, Samus's group goes back into the forest, back to their camp.

* * *

## FLASHBACK 03: BALLROOM

_Running SubjectIdentifier…_

_…_

_Now loading…_

* * *

KRRZT… KRRZT…

Bzzt… bzzt…

.

..

…

Everything about her is lovely…

Her long brown hair…

Her beautiful black eyes…

I… remember the first time I met her…

There she was, standing in that beautiful blue gown. Her rose hair decoration… her ruby necklace… such a beauty…

And here I was, in my royal-looking outfit, just standing at my spot to admire her.

Then her eyes rolled to look at me.

I was surprised at first, but I stayed calm and decided to slowly approach her. She was confused, until I decided to talk to her. I introduced myself, and she introduced herself. And that's how I knew her name.

Sophia.

After getting to know more about her, I decided to offer her some drink. She simply nodded, still a bit shy. So, I got her some fruit punch from one of the tables in the huge ballroom. I also got some drink for myself, of course. Once I delivered her drink, both of us began drinking. After that, we continued our chat.

I asked her why she distanced herself from other people in the ballroom. She said that she's too shy to approach other people. I then assured her that she can chat with me as much as she can without feeling awkward. She was still feeling uncomfortable… I guess that was a wrong way to assure her.

Fast forward to the next week, she attended the castle's weekend event again. Upon meeting her, she immediately recognized my face and my name. She began to show more of her emotions, even slightly. I then spent my time talking with her again, getting along with her. The same can be said for the next week after. And the next week. And the next. And the next.

I had been devoting my time to be with her every weekend event for a few months. Not only I could admire her beauty, but also her demeanor. She's actually really kind. Apparently, she's part of the Gunner Academy. Fortunately, she had never used her skills for malice… according to her anyway.

It had been six months since my first encounter with her. I decided to attend the castle's event once again to check on her, but she wasn't there. I looked for her everywhere in the ballroom, but she couldn't be found. She might be sick or something…

Disappointed, I walked back home. There, I was surprised by a mail in my mailbox. I took the letter and brought it to my house. Once inside, I read it.

_Dear Falcon,_

_I'm sorry that I can't attend the weekend event this time. I'm not feeling well right now. I'm sorry to disappoint you._

_By the way, I've been wondering… would it be a good idea for us to start a family? You know… marriage? I'm sorry if this seems awkward, but you've been very nice to me. I feel like I can trust you. Who knows if we can continue our happy life by staying together. I'll get into details later once I'm fully recovered._

_Hope to see you again soon._

_-Sophia_

KRRZT… KRRZT…

Bzzt… bzzt…

Krrrrrrrrrrrr…

BZZT!

_Error: Anomaly detected! SubjectIdentifier's process has been aborted!_

"Heh-heh-heh… I shall take advantage of these memories for my plans… My plans to destroy this world… and make it my own… GAHAHAHAHA!"

KRRZT… KRRZT…

Krrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

Krrrrrrrrr…

Bzzt… bzzt…

## END

* * *

At the camp spot, the group is surprised to see the Super Mushroom trophy, which Samus accidentally left behind, cloaked in green light.

"The trophy!" Samus exclaimed. She is half-relieved and half-worried, as leaving the trophy alone would not end well if the group delayed their return even more.

"Samus, wait! It might not be safe to touch!" Popo exclaimed, trying to stop the woman.

Samus pauses a bit when she is just one step close to the glowing trophy. Hearing the boy's words, she becomes hesitant in grabbing the Super Mushroom trophy. Suddenly, a cluster of green light is formed behind the trophy, taking the shape of a person. It then results in a holographic projection once the process is complete.

"...L…Luigi?" Samus said. Everyone else gasps at the surprising sight, a holographic Luigi.

"That trophy can do that too, huh?" Popo wondered.

Samus then picks up the Super Mushroom trophy before beginning to converse with the holographic Luigi.

"Luigi…? But… how?" Samus said.

"What you're seeing right now is a representation of my memory recorded by this trophy. I know your name, Samus. Hmm… It seems that I'm finally able to conjure this form." the holographic Luigi said.

"Memory? Finally? What do you mean?"

"Look. I'll go straight to the point. Luigi, um, my real self, is currently on the run. I can feel his presence. He has reached this area. I don't know what exactly happened, but he's just around here now."

"Luigi… is nearby? No… that can't be true…"

Mario then steps forward, near Samus. "Forgive me for butting in, but the last time we saw him, he just suddenly vanished. There's no way he can be found easily now."

"Ah. Mario, right? Listen, as I said before, I'm representing Luigi's memory that is recorded by this trophy, which belongs to him. I'm bound to him even if he's not holding the trophy. That's why I can feel his presence if he's close enough. Unfortunately, since he's far away from this trophy for a long time, I can't tell what's actually happening to him aside from me sensing his location." the holographic Luigi said.

Popo then asks, "How close is he to our spot?"

The hologram closes his eyes briefly, then opens them again before answering, "Shouldn't be too far from where you're currently standing."

"How is that even possible?!" Marth asked.

"Hush, Marth. Once we find Luigi, I'm sure he'll explain everything." Popo said.

The hologram closes his eyes again, trying to concentrate in tracking the real Luigi in the forest.

After waiting for a while, Samus asks, "So, how about now?"

It takes a few seconds later for the holographic Luigi to stop focusing and then answer Samus's question.

"Hm..."

"He…

…

…

…should be much closer. I can't really gauge how far exactly, but I can sense it."

"Closer, huh?" Samus said.

"Unfortunately, my time is almost up. I can't stay in this form for too long. You can either wait, or you can try searching, but keep in mind that doing the latter option might put more distance between you and Luigi instead, since I can't help you anymore for now and I sense that Luigi is currently running frantically, so he can randomly switch directions."

"Huh?! Please! Please detect him just one more time!"

"I'm sorry, um, Samus. It's up to you now." the hologram said before converting itself back into a cluster of green light that is then absorbed by the Super Mushroom trophy.

"NO! I need more information!"

Popo then walks up to her and says, "Miss Samus. I think that would be enough. You know, I think the hologram's presence itself might alert Luigi to our location."

"But… I'm not convinced yet…" Samus said.

"Just follow his words. We can either stay… or wander around the forest. Take your pick."

Samus is left speechless.

Jeff then comments, "She's having a mental breakdown. I suggest we stay and watch our surroundings. Luigi might pop out any minute now."

"Hmph… if only she didn't come with us to see Mew…" Mario regretted.

"Mario, Donkey Kong, it's not your fault. …It's my fault. I shouldn't have dragged Samus along when Marth called us back then…" Popo said.

Marth approaches Popo and says, "But then again, we have no idea that it would lead to… that. The whole timeline thing, you know."

"You know what… let's not discuss this any further… Samus is still in complete denial…"

Link then asks everyone present to eat their breakfast, since the whole encounter with the holographic Luigi wastes more of their time, even delaying their breakfast time.

Meanwhile, someone is running through the forest. In the middle of the wilderness and complete helplessness, all that person cares about is finding someone else to properly communicate with. That person happened to see a small glimmer of light in-between the thick trees, and that is why that person is making a beeline for the light's source, despite the light already going away.

Back at the camping spot, Link has just finished whispering something to Popo. Both are at the beach, further away from the group.

"Ah, I see. So that actually happened because of Samus's subconscious wish? But… won't that make her… a key trophy holder alongside Luigi?" Popo said.

Link simply nods in response.

"Let me guess. Their bond has become strong enough for the trophy to allow Samus to be its holder as well? Even despite knowing each other for a short time?"

Link nods again.

Popo then realizes something. "Oh, yeah… Samus has just told me about her dreams, both having Luigi in it. I can only assume that they stay bonded even in dreams… As ridiculous as it sounds, that's the only better evidence for her subconscious wish…"

Link stays silent as usual.

"Then again, she told me that the first person she has met for a long time is Luigi. Hmm…"

The two end up being silent for a moment.

"Link, let's go back to the camp. I'll think about this later." Popo said.

After Popo and Link return to the camp, they are surprised by a sudden appearance of someone. Someone that they are familiar with.


	12. Intertwined Together

Luigi finally shows up. After his nervous hello, Samus begins to tear up and run towards him to give him a hug. After losing him twice, she can no longer restrain her bottled up emotions. The rest of the group can only smile at the sight, especially after knowing that his fate back then was left vague. Samus then stops hugging Luigi and stands up, slightly towering over him as usual.

"I'm sorry again... For some reason I can't handle losing you twice." Samus said while wiping her tears.

"...It's alright." Luigi said. "Huff... At least I can finally see you guys again."

"Luigi, I don't understand. What happened back then? And how?" Mario wondered.

"I have no idea how exactly it went, but one thing for sure I ended up somewhere bizarre before losing consciousness again. After that, I woke up in an abandoned house. And then the next thing I know, my instinct told me to look for you guys."

"Instinct?"

"I dunno... I just had a feeling that if I kept running and running, I would eventually find you guys. And here I am."

"Hmm... I assume you ended up somewhere not too far from where we are right now."

"I guess so."

Samus then says, "At least I can finally see you again. I can't forget you."

"Aw... You're embarassing me..." Luigi said as the others but Samus laugh.

Shortly after, somebody else shows up, interrupting the moment. She appears to be a brown-haired woman in a gray jumpsuit, a brown belt, and an orange jacket. She also wears a pair of orange gloves and a pair of orange boots. She is holding a trophy. She appears to be confused for a moment when she encounters Samus's group, but she then tries to greet them with a simple, "Hi?"

Link and Popo recognize the trophy she is holding. It is the Assist Trophy, the key trophy of light and darkness. They begin to feel uneasy, as if they are facing against an inevitable doom worse than getting attacked by the mysterious blob creatures. The woman, curious at their reactions, begins asking, "Um, did I step in at an inappropriate time?"

"Uh... no. It's just... that trophy..." Popo commented.

"Hm?"

Marth then steps in and apologizes for the awkward moment. He first introduces himself and then the rest of his group. He then asks the woman's name for a proper introduction. The woman then smiles a bit before introducing herself as Sophia. Popo then shakes his head for embarassing himself in front of a complete stranger, while Samus begins thinking. Luigi wonders why.

"Something about her feels familiar. Could it be...? No. It must be purely coincidental. She looked too generic." Samus said.

"Huh?" Luigi said.

"Sorry for not making this clear. I was dreaming that I saw a woman dancing with Falcon, but I think that she can't be the same person."

"I see..."

After the proper introduction, Sophia immediately focuses on both Samus and Luigi, as if she is familiar with them. Meanwhile, Popo and Link briefly leave the group to discuss by themselves, particularly regarding the trophy Sophia is carrying.

"Excuse me." Sophia said to both. "Sorry for suddenly telling you this, but you two remind me of something I just saw at a wall on Smash Tower."

Samus and Luigi look at each other for a moment before looking back at Sophia, puzzled at what she said. Sophia then begins to describe her experience.

It was an unclear time in the past. Sophia was walking by herself, holding the Assist Trophy, when she suddenly stumbled upon the glorious Smash Tower. Considering this a "once in a life time" opportunity, Sophia walked closer to it and began examining the outer walls. There are mysterious inscriptions in an ancient language and colorful paintings, but most had faded away by time with only very few being recognizable. One of them is a painting depicting a couple of a short man and a tall woman who are linked together with handcuffs. The man has brown hair, blue eyes, and black mustache, and wears a green cap, a green shirt with dark blue overalls, white gloves, and brown shoes. Green leaves decorate the man's side. The woman has blonde hair tied into a ponytail and wears a light blue kimono with a purple ribbon. Pink cherry petals decorate the woman's side. The chain holding them forms a heart shape. Underneath the painting is an inscription, which Sophia, of course, can not read. After examining as much of the outer walls as she could possibly see due to it being very tall, about 25 stories tall or possibly more, Sophia tried to enter the tower from its only entrance, a huge gate. However, she began to feel an air of uneasiness, so she doubted going inside, fearing that she would end up disturbing what is basically the world's heart.

"It was that painting on Smash Tower. The couple depicted there... they bear strong resemblance to you."

Samus is left speechless, while Luigi says, "It, uh, seems really uncanny. I mean, I can't joke about Smash Tower, but it's weird that it has a painting of Samus and I of all things, hahaha!"

Marth, after hearing all that, then comments, "I guess that even the heart of our world approves of you two being together. If that's what it wants, I guess there's nothing stopping you now, even after getting separated multiple times."

"But why the kimono, though?" Jeff asked. "It doesn't look like something Samus would wear. The colors you described are eeriely similar to what Samus is currently wearing, however."

"I mean, she disapproves wearing a princess gown... Um. It's a long story." Marth said.

"Ah. I see. But I guess the colors can be linked as well. Anyway, at that time I didn't understand what it was supposed to be, being a Smash Tower painting and all that. Now I have a feeling that it's supposed to be a part of a prophecy." Sophia said.

"Now that's interesting." Marth said.

"Uh... But don't really believe it. It's just my feeling. I might not be correct."

Meanwhile, Link and Popo have returned to the group, prompting Mario to say, "Hmph. So you've finally done with your private conversation?"

Link and Popo then nod at each other before the latter steps forward and asks Sophia, "Sorry for being, um, rude, but can I examine your trophy real quick?"

"Oh, um, sure. I don't know what part of it interests you, but I'm genuinely curious about what this is supposed to be."

Sophia then gives the boy her Assist Trophy. Popo examines it closely. He looks at its base, then the dome part of it including the shadowy figure inside. It glows ominously. "There's no mistaking it, this is the Assist Trophy."

"Assist Trophy?" Sophia said.

"Yep. Let me tell you about this trophy. The Assist Trophy can either help us or doom us all. It all depends on the holder, which means you, Miss Sophia. This is one of the key trophies, needed to fix this world from interdimensional calamities. I wonder where you got this from."

"Uh... um... This trophy just appeared right before my eyes. Even when I mistakenly forgot to carry it, it would reappear in front of me again. That's why I'm always carrying it. Other than that... I don't know what's actually going on."

"Huh. Have you encountered any strange, blob-like creatures? Or fake people? Stuff like that?"

"No, I think. I mean, I've seen various creatures, including blob-like ones, but I'm not sure what you mean by 'strange'. Fake people... I have no idea."

"You see, miss. Those creatures are not from this world. Their presence is dooming us. If we don't do something about it, those creatures will wipe out everything."

Sophia gasped upon hearing the truth. "So... we're nearing apocalypse really soon?!"

"To put it simply, yes, sadly. But seeing that you have this trophy and you don't seem to be bad, you can help us prevent it. Actually, you have to anyway."

"I-I will help! Anything I can do to prevent such thing! I'm not ready to witness our world's quick end!"

"Well then." Popo gives back Sophia's trophy. "But since your trophy is a special case, we're going to keep a closer watch on you. We're afraid that a single bad influence would end up ruining our world much earlier. Of course not all the time, though, that would be too creepy, hahaha!"

"Hehe, thank you for having me in your party. I'm too scared to watch this world being destroyed."

"No problem. Anyway... that means we have four key trophies now."

Samus, Mario, and Jeff hold out their respective key trophies. Sophia is surprised to see that other people have a key trophy like her.

"That leaves us with two more." Popo continued.

"But I thought you just said that there are five key trophies in total? Two more would make it six." Mario commented.

"Actually... until Miss Sophia showed up, I always thought that the Assist Trophy is purely mythical because of how hard it is to be found even by the living trophies according to the legends. I guess all myths are true from now on."

"Well then, where do we go from here? We've wasted too much time here." Marth asked.

"Unfortunately I don't have any clue about where the rest of the trophies, so I don't think even our trophy can help." Mario said. As soon as he said it, however, a trail of light is generated anyway. "Huh?"

"What is it, Mario? It just glows." Luigi asked.

"Apparently this trophy proved me wrong. I didn't even name someone and it generated a trail that can lead us to the next trophy holder."

Everyone is surprised except for Link. When Popo asks him about it, he simply whispers to the boy's ear.

"It seems that the presence of that Assist Trophy enhances Mario and Donkey Kong's trophy power. I knew that Miss Sophia would be up to good." Popo happily said.

"I see, so this is what you mean by my trophy being influenced by myself. I'm glad to help." Sophia said.

"Alright. No more wasting time. You guys follow me. Don't get separated." Mario said to the rest of the group as they continue their journey.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a forest far, far away, the wandering princess who calls herself Villager is walking by herself while humming a tune. She walks and walks, until she finds a forest clearing. Stepping out, she discovers a lake, with colorful flowers decorating its surroundings. Enjoying the breathtaking view, she decides to take a break and sit on the lake's edge. Suddenly, a yellow ball of light floats down near her, catching her attention. Recalling her first encounter with the other floating lights, she immediately questions it, "Oh? What do I have here? Are you a lost spirit too?"

The light floats up and down as if it is nodding in the affirmative.

"I see... I feel sorry for spirits like you, wandering endlessly instead of resting peacefully. Come to think of it, I've been seeing a lot more of the lost spirits lately..."

There is a brief silence. Then, Villager says, "By the way, you can just call me Villager. My real name is a secret, just for my safety. What's your name?"

The light floats near her ear as if it is whispering to her.

"Ah. Zelda it is."

Before Villager can continue talking, the light whispers to her again to tell more details.

"...That's awful. You died in a war, even though your people heavily relied on you for the victories. Well... war is horrible, no matter what. Anyway, I think I also encountered other lost spirits who also fell in a war, much like you. I wonder if your presence here is connected to the wars. Many people die from wars, I know that, but I never thought that some of them would end up being restless spirits."

The light just floats in place.

"I'm sorry. I just can't stand the horrors of wars..."

The light then whispers to her again.

"Hm, so you already have two people to continue your legacy, is that what I understand?"

The light floats up and down.

"And those people are on their way to find a solution to end the entire crisis, correct?"

The light floats up and down again.

"That's some good news! I hope they're still doing well. It's amazing that there's still hope even in our darkest times."

The light then whispers to her.

"Huh? You want me to find them? But how? I don't even know where they are!"

The light whispers again.

"So... you don't know their current position now, but they're apparently holding a key trophy? And their names are Mario and Donkey Kong? I see why you want me to find them. I guess you just overheard my humming, huh?"

The light floats up and down one last time.

"Anyway... thank you. Even if you have little information, that still can help me with my mission. I'll try my best to find them."

With that, the yellow light floats up, far away from Villager. After that, Villager calls out for the spirits of Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch, who have been hiding between the thick trees just for their safety.

"Sorry for keeping you two hidden. I just didn't feel safe back there. Guess what? Looks like we're taking a step forward in our mission. Even though we don't know exactly where, at least we got some clues. For now, though... let's have a bit of rest. I'm really tired from all that walking." Villager said as she relaxes on the grass while facing the lake.

* * *

Somewhere at an unknown region, Nana has just finished climbing a mountain. She finally reaches the same location where she first discovered the ancient remnants regarding the legends of the Smash world. She looks at the cave paintings there, but before she can even begin to examine them, Roy suddenly greets her from behind, surprising her. "Hi there."

"Wah! You scared me!" Nana said. "Why did you follow me? I can take care of myself!"

"Sorry, but it's too dangerous for you to be alone at all times. After all, you won't know what kind of unthinkable things can jump out at you."

"Yeah... but so far I had no problems until you showed up."

"Heh... I'm here just to be sure. Anyway, I thought you're going to find the trophies first. I'd like to find one myself because of who I am and my ability, but... can't leave you alone."

Nana frowns before looking back at the cave paintings. The paintings consist of various figures in various situations. The first figure she examines is the one depicting a muscular man with a helmet. The painting only draws him up to his upper torso. The second one depicts a short-haired woman sitting on a tree stump while playing a musical instrument. What appears to be an orb is drawn flying near her. The third one depicts the same woman, but covered up in a robe. The woman is depicted again in the other paintings, one depicting her giving her hand as if to help someone, another one depicting her narrowly avoiding being spotted by what appears to be the ancient version of a Bob-omb, and another one depicts her standing happily with two orbs floating near her. A random painting of a cat is seen too. The last painting she examines sparks her interest the most. It depicts what appears to be a mustached man being carried by a group of four people from two people chasing them. The four people consist of the same short-haired woman, a short boy in a parka, what appears to be a teen wearing glasses, and a tall woman wearing what appears to be a scarf whose long hair is tied into a ponytail. The two people chasing them consist of the same muscular man with a helmet and a teen wearing something that resembles a cap and a backpack. Upon realizing what they are implied to be, Nana immediately pulls out her journal and pen, then starts drawing and taking notes.

"So...?" Roy asked.

"There's no way these are random cave paintings... The people depicted... The situations..." Nana said.

"Hm?"

"There is a connection." Nana said as she adds more to her journal's notes.


	13. Trophies and Spirits Exposition

Six key trophies, each scattered all over the world. Each of them has its own power in the hands of its holder. When they are together, the true power will be revealed.

Super Mushroom trophy, the Key Trophy of Peace. Symbolized with one of the aspects of nature, the mushroom. Only people whose deepest desire is a calm and peaceful world are worthy of holding this trophy. In the hands of the chosen, this trophy will record the many readings provided by the nature. This recording can then be viewed at any time by either the holder or the living trophy. To mortals, this is interpreted as recording one's memories. Aside from that, this trophy also has a calming aura that can repel the deep darkness of the holder's heart. This trophy is tied to a legend of a man and a woman of completely different backgrounds being united together with it. The man and the woman, even if they do not realize it, are specifically chosen by the world to avert any unwanted crisis that can possibly happen.

Smash Ball trophy, the Key Trophy of Determination. Symbolized with the legendary Smash Ball, the special power wanted by the mortals in this world. Only people full of determination in averting the unwanted crisis are worthy of holding this trophy. In the hands of the chosen, this trophy will provide a path to anyone or anything the holder or the living trophy wants to look for, hopefully helping the holder reach the other key trophies. However, choosing the people deemed worthy of holding this trophy is considered to be a challenge. Even if one is determined enough to receive the trophy, the world will provide some obstacles to hinder the holder, both physically and mentally. Only by overcoming this obstacle will the holder be able to make use of more power from the trophy. It is a gradual process, not something instant.

Franklin Badge trophy, the Key Trophy of Protection. Symbolized with a badge known to deflect lightning bolts. Only people willing to risk their lives while dealing an unwanted crisis are worthy of holding this trophy. In the hands of the chosen, this trophy will provide protection from the many dangers in the mission. However, this comes at a cost. Too much usage of this power will eventually tire out the holder, as it consumes the holder's life force in the long run. Another difficulty of utilizing this power is the fact that only the most dire situation will allow it to activate, and the holder needs to learn how to control it in order to activate it with their own mind. As a result, another quality required in order to become this trophy's holder is a strong mind.

⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛ trophy, the Key Trophy of ⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵. Symbolized with ⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢. Only people ⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧ are worthy of holding this trophy. In the hands of the chosen, ⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧

⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛ trophy, the Key Trophy of ⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵. Symbolized with ⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢. Only people ⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧ are worthy of holding this trophy. In the hands of the chosen, ⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧

The Assist Trophy, the Key Trophy of Light and Darkness. Symbolized with the mysterious trophy of the same name. There is no requirement for anyone to be considered worthy of holding it. However, the trophy's power is linked to its holder's deepest desire. If the holder has good intentions, the trophy will help in achieving their goal, including averting the unwanted crisis. If the holder has bad intentions, at best the trophy will hinder the mission, but at worst it will o͢͡ ̢͘e̸̡̨͘͢n̸̴̨̧i̕l҉̷̷̡o̧͢͠l҉̡̨̕ǫ̡͘̕͠ ̶̡t̡͞a͏͟t̴̵̡͞u̢̨̨̧͘n͏͠o̶҉͠ m̴̢͢͝o̸͞m̕͡e̛͏̸͘͟ ̶͞m̷̨͜ę̴͜p̨͢͡u̶͜.̸҉͡ ͏̢͟͡Ǫ̴c͡͝͞o̸͏͠r̶̢͡u̢s͝e͜ ̵̧̕͠p̛͝͡a͏ ̧i̧͜ȩ̵g͡͞i̴̛͡ ̶̡͜͞ç̷̵͟͏i̸̕̕͜͝.̸͝͡ ̴̡̛̕͟C͏̸u̷̕͞s̨͟͡a̷̕͟ ͝͞͝͝i̵̸l͝i̶͟m͏͏͡e̶̛n̡ ̷̴͝͝l̵͜a͢͢͏͢ ͏͜s͏̛e͢҉̴̶ ̢̧̛͞͠c̢e̕͠r̶̸̛͡a̴͢͡͞c̕҉̡ ̵͢r̷̨̛͘o͡͠.͢͜ ̸̴̶͠H̸҉̴̛͘ų̛͡ ̷̢͢͝a̸̢c͏͏o͠ ̧̕b̶̨i͟e̛͡͝ţ͜͏͢o̶͘͜c̕o͏̷p̷͜͠.

Each of these trophies, except for the Assist Trophy, contains a Spirit Pokémon that will be awakened when the time comes. Spirit Pokémon, unlike normal Pokémon, have no known life span and have unusual powers, but mostly involve mind manipulation and telepathy. However, these Pokémon cannot stay in the mortal world for too long or their powers will weaken, so they have to stay near their respective key trophies a lot. Unlike the key trophies, Spirit Pokémon do not necessarily share the same representation, as they basically also represent an aspect of the world much like the living trophies. However, their traits can be linked to the key trophies in some way.

Mew, representing the world's rebirth. Primarily takes the form of something reminiscent of a vertebrate embryo. Linked with the Smash Ball trophy as determination in averting an unwanted crisis comes with a catch in the form of the world reset, or in other words, a rebirth. Despite its appearance, it can unleash basically every power known to the normal, mortal Pokémon as its protective measure. It can even take the form of any other living creature no matter how big or small, how hostile or docile, how strong or weak. Because of this, this Spirit Pokémon is considered to be the most dangerous, even to the trophy holder.

Celebi, representing the world's time. Takes the form of a small forest fairy. Linked with the Super Mushroom trophy to support its memory-recording power, which of course, is linked with time. Celebi also represents the calmness aspect of nature, thus its powers also support that, like the ability to create green calming forests. However, compared to the living trophy equivalent Link, Celebi only covers a smaller aspect of time. It can not completely cut off time flow. As it has some similarities with Link, delivering the Super Mushroom trophy becomes his first priority.

Jirachi, representing the world's wish. Takes the form of a small humanoid creature with a star motif. Linked with the ⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛ trophy ⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧. In constrast to Celebi that has nature powers, Jirachi can also manipulate technology, anything that is primarily made out of metal, or just the metal itself, even though it rarely uses metal-based attacks itself. It can grant any wish once it shows up, but wishing is very risky. If a wish is not strong enough, Jirachi will instead end up unleashing a deadly burst of light which can destroy anything but itself as well as Smash Tower and its trophies in its vicinity.

Meloetta, representing the world's harmony. Takes the form of a small creature whose appearance resembles a muse. Linked with the Franklin Badge trophy to fuel the holder's motivation of not giving up until the end, as its presence both inside and outside the trophy gives off an uplifting aura to contrast with the difficult responsibility of keeping the trophy. How this is linked to the world's harmony is that Meloetta's aura also affects everyone else nearby when outside the trophy, making them less violent and more likely to fully support the trophy holder's mission in averting an unwanted crisis, creating a harmony of some sort. It can change appearance between its normal, Aria Forme, and its physically stronger, Pirouette Forme by singing a song.

Victini, representing the world's victory. Takes the form of a small rabbit-like creature. Linked with the ⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛ trophy ⬛̶͡҉⬛̨̨⬛̸̸̨⬛҉͢҉͜⬛҉̵⬛̧҉͜⬛̷͏̛͘⬛͏͢͠⬛̶̡͘͟⬛̢̧⬛̷̡̢̧⬛̶̛͘⬛̧͠͝⬛͜͜⬛̸̶͞⬛͘͜⬛҉̴⬛͠⬛͘͟͝⬛̛͢⬛̴̷̢⬛̸҉̧̧⬛̴⬛̨͟҉⬛̶͟͡⬛̵̢̛͢҉⬛̴̶̵̡͠⬛̵̶⬛̶͟͡⬛҉̨⬛̡̛⬛̕͜⬛͠⬛̷҉̧. It is highly energetic, always fueled with its fire powers. Its presence can make people nearby feel confidence in reaching their goals, and this includes averting an unwanted crisis, as if Victini promises grand victory to everyone affected. However, this is only possible if Victini itself considers those people worthy of reaching such goal.

Aside from the key trophies and their associated Spirit Pokémon, there are two notable trophies that are also involved in the cleansing of dimensional anomalies: the living trophies Link and Roy. Both of them are only awakened as living beings when the unwanted crisis is happening, but each has his own ability. Link represents time, but in a much bigger scope than the Spirit Pokémon Celebi. As a trophy, Link can freely manipulate any time period, distort time itself, even cut off time flow, and together with Roy, cause complete chaos if the world wants itself to end. As a person, all those abilities are gone except for his immunity to time manipulation from other entities and his special sense that allows him to find key trophies and people worthy of holding them. Aside from the time representation, Link himself symbolizes "promise", as in a promise that the world will not end prematurely unless the world itself wants to. As for Roy, in trophy form he can manipulate space freely and peek in other dimensions. As a person, Roy also loses most of those powers except for his ability to enter dreams, which are treated as just another dimension to him, and his trophy sense. Roy symbolizes "light", not just the light emanating from his blazing sword, but also the light that will wake up and assist the Smash world's mortals in the dark times. Once the mission ends and the world is reset, both Link and Roy will revert back to their trophy selves, staying inside Smash Tower until a new unwanted crisis rises.

All of these aspects are important in order to e͏̡̨͝r͠͏u̷̴̢͢n̷̢̧͝u̴̴͝ ̡̛o̸̡̧n̛͟͞ę̴͢͞ ̵̨̨b̡͠҉ơ̧͢͟͏b̴̶͢o̢͢͡͝͠m̵͟į̴͢e̛͠n̕͞ ̨͠w̷̨̢͜͜ư͟͟͟͝ņ͟e̸͘ i҉͡n̛͡a҉̴̢v͡e̴͡r̸̷͠҉!̷̧ ̴̕T̸̴e̵ ̧̢͞ų̶̴̴̸h͟͝͡i͟f̡͢͜͠ą̴y̕͝i͟͠b͢͜͟ ͘͝r̴̷ư̷̡ ̡͝҉c̢̕͡͞ȩ͡l̴̢̛ǫc͏ ̧͠͡f̷̛͡ơ̡͟͠d̕͡e̢͘h̵̨̧͢ ̕͠ǫ͢p̧͢o̧̧̡̢͝v̨̧͟i̶̴͘ ̡̢̨͡k̵͜e̕l̷̕͝͝u͘͟҉̢ ̶̧̕͞a̵t̸͜͞u̸͢d̸͜͟͠u̶͢l̨̛͡a҉͏͜͞ ̸͜t̢i͠͠,͢҉ ̴t̕͜͠i̶̕̕̕l͟͠o̶͜͟ ̷̷҉r̷̴͞a̧̢w͏̴̨͜͞ ̶͞s͡ǫ̨͝x̧̛͘̕a̷̡̢͝c̵͟u̧̧̕k̸ ͠͏t͏̛͢i̵̛n̨͘͟ ̛̕ņ͠ȩ̡̛p̶u̶͘s̵͘͜͞ ̡͟͜u҉͞͡r̶͢a͝t̢̧e̶͠ ̴̧͘r̢͘͘͢͠u̶͠g̴̸į҉҉̕m̵̵͝,̵ ̶̡̨͟ơ̡b̵҉͟e̸̡̨ţ͝҉a̷̡͜s̶͠e͘͏n̸̛͘͟͜ ͘n̴͡i̧͢͟s̨̛͠͡ ̸̨͟s̴̸͟҉̷e̸̶̴̡͘b͘͡ ̨͜͠͠o̢͠h̴͝i҉̵s͘a҉̛g̵a͏͜?̨͟ ̸͟͢͏͡I̢̛c̴̸̛o̵̴̡͠ļ̛͜͠ǫ͞ ̸̢̕r͘͘͟į̴̢͝k̡͠ ̧͘̕̕͜t̢̕͞i͏̸͘h̸̕͡a̢͜l͘͝ą̷͘͢ ̷̕͞u̢w̨͜͝a̴̡̨̨c͟͜a̷̕d̶̵͘͞ ̴̢͜e͟͠b̨̨͟͠͡i҉̢͢.͏̸͡͝

## FLASHBACK 04: PIT

_Running SubjectIdentifier…_

_…_

_Now loading…_

* * *

KRRZT… KRRZT…

Bzzt… bzzt…

.

..

…

Oh.

I'm sorry.

Am I bothering with this legend?

Never thought part of it can be erased so easily.

...

What?

What do you mean I shouldn't have done that?

I don't see anything wrong with it.

I thought that uneasy feeling was just trying to keep me away, but here I am.

Inside.

And I see no problem entering it. I thought this place would kill you or something.

What a weak place it is now.

For something so glorious that only the chosen can enter, it has become so weak.

?

What do you mean I have to fix this mess? I can't!

...

You're annoying. Please leave.

Leave.

Now.

Get out of my sight, or I'll do the unthinkable you just said.

I can't believe this trophy I have attracts a weirdo angel like you.

Especially one named Pit.

...

Yeah, just run, or fly away if you can.

...

Now what should I do next...?

KRRZT… KRRZT…

Bzzt… bzzt…

Krrrrrrrrrrrr…

BZZT!

Error: Anomaly detected! SubjectIdentifier's process has been aborted!

KRRZT… KRRZT…

Krrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

Krrrrrrrrr…

Bzzt… bzzt…

## END

.

..

...

"I am Sophia. What am I? Who am I? Nobody knows. I do not know. I am who I am. I have altered the ancient writings. I hope I have erased the unwanted. They will be so happy. Sorry for the mess."


	14. Inside the Hospital

The group has been walking through the woods for a few hours, with Mario and Donkey Kong leading the way thanks to their trophy. With the surprising return of Luigi and the unexpected guest Sophia, the group has grown bigger, ready to press on through more potential dangers in their mission to wipe out the unwanted anomalies. Soon enough, they come across yet another beach, but it turns out to be a port, with one ship standby. Mario and Donkey Kong look at their trophy again, noticing that, from their point of view, the light trail generated from the trophy points to the ship, implying that either the next key trophy is inside or they will have to cross the sea yet again. The group is unsure how to handle this situation, except for Marth, who assures the others that he can discuss this with the ship's owner.

To Marth's surprise, the ship's owner is not a human being, but rather, a Pokémon. It looks like a cyan punching bag with a black tail. Said tail has what appears to be eyespots. Despite this, he tries his best to ask.

"Excuse me." Marth said to the creature.

"Hm?"

"I was wondering if you can allow us in your ship. We need a way to cross the sea."

After a brief silence, the Pokémon places its right hand on its forehead and says, "Sooooonansu!"

"Er... What do you mean by that?"

"Sooooonansu!"

"So that's really the way it is. I take it as a yes?"

The Pokémon nods, as if fully understanding what Marth just said. Marth then returns to the group and tells them.

"The ship's owner is a Pokémon called Wobbuffet. Apparently, he doesn't mind us being passengers. But keep in mind that we're only following Mario and Donkey Kong's trophy's directions, so be ready for anything."

"I see. I don't know you can speak Pokémon." Mario said.

"Heh, I don't think talking to someone that can only exclaim 'that's the way it is' equals being a Pokémon translator." Marth shrugged.

"Anyway... now that we're allowed in his ship, no more wasting time for us." Popo said.

The group then enters Wobbuffet's ship, not knowing what to expect in this part of their journey. After everyone is in, Wobbuffet activates the ship's engine and begins sailing. The ship is quite large, with plenty of guest rooms enough to keep all nine guests.

Much later, Marth enters one of the guest rooms, where Samus is staying alone, looking through the window while holding the Super Mushroom trophy. Samus looks at the man briefly when he enters before looking back at the window. After closing the door, Marth then stands near Samus and begins a conversation.

"Looks like we've gone through a lot, isn't that right?"

Samus stays silent.

"Samus, you seem to repress your emotions a lot. It's the first time I've seen a woman like this. Wonder why you're mostly stoic..."

"I have let out my emotions before." Samus said.

"Well, yeah, you have. But it's always a surprising sight for me. Then again, it's either anger, worry, or sadness. I've never seen you feel happy before."

"...I am happy right now."

"But you don't really seem to show it."

"I'm sorry, I can't pretend to look happy. If I'm happy, that's it. If I'm sad, that's it. I don't need to always show off my emotions."

"Sheesh. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude. I just want to know more about you, and it's about time. We've been in so many dangerous situations, I didn't even get to familiarize myself to you more."

Samus looks down in silence.

"Once again, I'm sorry." Marth said.

"Marth... I am who I am. But my life isn't exactly the most pleasant." Samus said.

"Huh?"

"I lost my biological parents to monstrous beings. Then, I was adopted, but my adoptive parents were killed too. Since then, I've gone through a lot. I've lived through revenge, doubts, isolation, the fear of being rejected... Now you can understand why."

"...I see. Sorry to hear that. You're right."

Samus looks at the Super Mushroom trophy, which is glowing slightly. However, neither of them have any clue what it means. The trophy then stops glowing, back to its usual state.

"Hm. That was pretty short." Marth said.

"Should we ask Link about this?" Samus said.

"Maybe later."

"...Just keep that in mind once we arrive. But anyway, Marth..."

"What is it?"

"...I would like to know about you more as well. There is something that intrigued me, like that, um, 'fairy' companion of yours that you sacrificed way back then."

"Me? Um... It's nothing special. I'm just a ship captain. No, I was. With my crew and my ship gone, I can't call myself that. But... I hope that with the world reset after our mission, I can finally see my crew and my ship again, with no memory of all this anomaly nonsense happening."

Samus is surprised to hear the term "world reset" again, which reminds her again that it is something that cannot be avoided if she wants to avert the unwanted catastrophe. She still cannot get over the fact that she will have to forget her encounter with Luigi as that happened when the crisis has already taken place.

"I would feel alone after such loss, but I don't. There are the others that have accompanied us. Also, at least Popo is still alive and well. I cannot imagine losing him. We've been friends for quite a long time. Nana's still a jerk, though, hahaha!"

Samus sighs for a bit, then says, "What about that 'fairy' companion of yours?"

Marth begins to feel uneasy. Samus then asks him, "Is there something you're keeping to yourself?"

Marth is not sure how to answer it, until he says, "It's personal. I mean, I can always tell my story to others, but I don't want to make them feel down. Are you sure you want to know about it?"

Samus slowly nods in response.

"Sigh... Alright. I'll tell. I used to have a Pokémon partner called Chansey. She's like... a mother figure, for a lack of a better word. She used to always wake me up every morning, accompany me in treasure hunts, take care of my injuries, help me cook, stuff like that. These bandages on my head... these were her doing. My crew usually joked that we were completely inseparable forever because the two of us were often seen together. Until... she died. I didn't even know how. She just died. I'm thinking that age had caught up with her, considering that not many Pokémon live long. However, it hurts me the most because, well, she's very caring. She's like the only one that can keep our crew from quarreling against each other badly. Losing her is the equivalent to losing a family member, because that's how I regard my crew. Now, if you wonder why it has something to do with my 'fairy' companion... it's because the 'fairy' was her. Her spirit." Marth explained.

"I'm sorry for your loss. I never thought that it was that bad." Samus said.

"Well, you never asked. But now... she's gone. For real. I asked her to just 'do her best for last', and that was to destroy my ship to cover our tracks. I don't think the world reset can avert her seemingly natural death, so it looks like I'm going to experience that bad moment again, hahaha..."

"Hmm... Speaking of your partner's spirit, that reminds me. I finally recalled something from way back then."

"Huh? What is it?"

"I think I saw something like it, but it's oddly flat. But I can tell that it looks like such spirit because that's what it looks like, a ball of light, albeit two-dimensional. I wonder if it is also a spirit..."

"Hm, when you think about it, that can be considered one, but it's still pretty weird. A really flat light?"

"...Perhaps we can find our answers later. Consider this another thing we can ask to Link."

"On another note... I wonder if those two are doing alright now..."

"Those two?"

"Nana and Roy. Nana went her own path, while Roy pursued her. I wonder if they're still fine, and if they are, I wonder if they've discovered something that can help our mission..."

"Ah. Those two. For the time being, there's no way to communicate with them, but I hope they succeed, wherever they are. By the way, did you find anything related to the key trophies here?"

"No, sadly. I'm guessing you didn't find anything related to them either?"

Samus just shakes her head, disappointed.

* * *

After the long voyage, a land begins to show up in the horizon. Wobbuffet's ship is nearing its destination. Seeing this, Wobbuffet shouts out, "SOOONANSU!!!" Everybody is woken up by this. Marth runs up to the upper deck to get a better view of where they are going to arrive. "That land looks familiar. Could it be...?"

After more time has passed, Wobbuffet's ship finally arrives. Samus's group steps off from the ship as Wobbuffet waves good bye before walking away to do its own business. Much like Marth, Popo recognizes the location they are in now. "Wait a minute... We're back here again."

"Again?" Jeff said.

"This is the town where I ended up in." Samus commented.

"Correct. In fact, Marth, Link, and I live here." Popo said.

"Meanwhile, Donkey Kong and I usually just explore this place. We don't live here." Mario said.

"Wow. I don't really recognize any of this, so I'm surprised." Sophia nervously said.

"Well, welcome to our town, Miss Sophia." Popo said to Sophia.

The group begins to walk around the town for a bit. To Popo, Link, and Marth's surprise, nothing much has changed. The people there still live their normal lives as there are no wars, even after Samus, Popo, Link, and Marth left the land the town is on. Soon enough, they come across a huge hospital building. The same hospital that Samus walked out back then. Samus begins to pay more attention to the building, to the confusion of others. Suddenly, Donkey Kong begins to grunt as if to complain about something. Mario looks at the Smash Ball trophy. From the duo's point of view, the trophy now just glows with no light trail to guide them, which is unusual.

"That's strange. I thought this thing will keep guiding us. What's going on here?" Mario said.

Link then takes a look at Mario and Donkey Kong's trophy. Sure enough, Link does not see a light trail either. He begins to get worried, but he assures the duo by whispering to them, as he still has a feeling that whatever they are looking for is somewhere in the town. Popo then asks, "What's wrong now?"

Link simply shakes his head before letting the plumber-gorilla duo go to search on their own. He then looks at the hospital building briefly before whispering to Popo about his new plan.

"What? We have to split up? I mean, as long as no one is venturing outside the town, we will be fine, but..."

Link whispers to the boy again, detailing the plan. After understanding what his plan is all about, Popo then tells the others, "Guys, looks like we have to split up for now. Link has already let Mario and Donkey Kong search on their own. For this plan, Link would like Samus and I to come with him. Everybody else must try to dig up some information from the town. As long as everybody stays in town, no one needs to worry about losing each other. We'll gather back in front of the hospital, and we'll make sure that everybody in our group is present."

"Understood!" Luigi exclaimed.

"But... why don't we let Luigi come with us? I'm afraid of losing him for the third time, especially considering what Falcon can do now..." Samus said.

"Miss Samus, I'm sorry, but this is something that can only be handled by the three of us. I don't want anyone else get involved in something that they're not. Besides, Luigi has the others to accompany him." Popo said.

Samus wants to say something else, but the party has been split, with everyone else but the trio already leaving to search for information. Luigi has run away too far for Samus to stop him as well. And so, without any other choice, Samus follows Link and Popo to the hospital.

Inside, they are immediately greeted by one of the nurses, who instantly recognizes Samus and gets really angry. As usual, all it can say is "purin", causing Samus and Popo to be confused. Link just sighs, as if he understood what the nurse is complaining about. Suddenly, another nurse approaches them, trying to explain.

"Oh, dear. Our apologies. It appears that there was an unfinished business between you and Jigglypuff. You see, she has been complaining about that one patient who just snuck out of this hospital even though she was still recovering." the human nurse said.

"That would be me. I'm really sorry." Samus bows down in apology.

"It's alright. At least you look better now. I remember seeing part of your face bandaged because of a near-fatal injury, but now you're fine! I guess it was the right thing for you to sneak out. You recovered very quickly for an injury that horrible!"

"Actually... that full recovery thing... I cannot explain how, but anyway, we're looking for something here."

"I see. Something you accidentally left? Oh, and by the way, you can call me Peach. Other than Jigglypuff, we're the only nurses here, so our workload can be really heavy. I don't mind it, but Jigglypuff can get stressed out quickly."

"Purin!" Jigglypuff felt offended.

"Sorry, 'puff. I can't resist saying that. Anyway, what are you looking for?" Peach asked the trio.

"Before I tell you more, I'm going to preface with the fact that we chose to examine the town's hospital first because this is one of the important places Miss Samus has ended up in. Link and I were the ones to send her unconscious body here. Miss Samus here might have missed something during her stay, so we decided to come back. Now, as for what we are looking for, do you know about trophies like the one Miss Samus is holding right now?" Popo said.

Peach thinks for a while, then says, "Sorry. I don't know anything about that. From what I'm seeing right now, the one held by Samus looks like a fine personal item. Why are you interested in something like that, I wonder?"

Popo becomes a bit nervous, as he's about to blurt out something too complicated for people that are not part of their mission. Not to mention, if he loudly talked about the current crisis in the only known peaceful town, the entire town would panic. He finally comes up with an excuse. "We're only, um, researchers. We're just interested in the history of those things. Some information, even a little, would help."

Without any feelings of suspicion, Peach then says, "That sounds nice. But once again, I'm sorry that I can't help."

"Oh, well. That's too bad. But do you see anything else unusual here? It can become a clue for us."

"Hmm... The only thing that first came into my mind was someone who is rendered blind and confined in a wheelchair. He's the only patient we know of that is just... kinda weird. I mean, if he hears anything high tech, he would scream in horror, as if something about that technology left him with a trauma. Other than that, he's mostly speechless, literally. That was the only time we had to dealt with this kind of patient. He's no longer here now, but another strange thing is that he chose to leave on his own. We doubted his safety, but he insisted, insisted, and insisted, getting more stubborn each time." Peach explained.

"Purin purin!" Jigglypuff said angrily.

"Yeah, Jigglypuff got tired of it very quickly. He kept refusing no matter what. And so... he left."

"That guy doesn't sound to be right in the head." Popo commented.

"Indeed." Peach said.

"At least that's some, uh, good information. We'll keep that in mind if we encounter that guy some day."

"We are glad to be of assistance."

"By the way..." Samus said. "Do you mind if I examine the room where I stayed in this hospital? Maybe I really did leave something behind."

"Oh, sure! The room's empty, so we won't mind. Jigglypuff will guide you there. I have something else to take care of right now, so I hope she can help!" Peach said before leaving the trio with Jigglypuff.

"Purin! Purin!" Jigglypuff grumpily asked the trio to follow to the stairs which lead to the corridor with the patient rooms. Once the four arrive in front of the door to Samus's old room, Jigglypuff unlocks the door then opens it. Samus takes her time to examine the insides of the room. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. Just a bed, a small side table beside it, a lamp on said table, a chair, a large desk, and a curtained window. There is also another door inside, which leads to the toilet.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

"Wah! What's going on?!" Popo jumped in surprise.

"Purin!" Jigglypuff ran out of the room to investigate. The others follow. To their horror, someone is attacking the hospital. The only authority that can deal with him, one of the town guards, is already knocked out and has his left eye torn off. Meanwhile, the hospital staff and the other visitors are too scared to stop the attacker. What is even worse is that the attacker... is none other than Mr. L, Luigi's evil alter ego who is thought to have vanished after his exposure to the Super Mushroom trophy.

"No..." Samus weakly said.

Link immediately jumps into action and tries to subdue Mr. L to stop him from claiming more victims. Popo follows Link, trying to help. As for Samus, she suddenly catches a glimpse of what appears to be Captain Falcon just standing at the hospital's entrance to watch the ruckus before leaving. In anger, Samus tries to give chase, promptly warning Popo when she passes by him. "Samus! What are you doing?! SAMUS!!!"

Once she is outside, she looks around, trying to find where Falcon left. She looks to her right, and sure enough, there he is, already running pretty far. Other townspeople nearby try to ask her what is happening inside the hospital, but she ignores them, still focusing on chasing Falcon. Meanwhile, a two-dimensional ball of light floats down. It watches Samus running to Falcon's direction before entering the hospital.

Samus keeps running and running. She eventually reaches a bridge that separates the town from the nearby forest. Still catching a glimpse of Falcon, she persists, leaving the town without any second thought. Inside the forest, Samus keeps on running to the deeper parts, so much that she can no longer see the town behind her. Once she reaches a darker part of the forest, she finds Falcon just standing there. She can finally catch her breath.

"Heh-heh-heh..." Falcon looks back to see Samus.

"You... monster..." Samus said.

"You seem to have forgotten how unstoppable I am."

"No... I always know... you'll be ready... to strike us... anytime..."

"And yet, you failed to stop my underling. He made my job easier."

"...I'm going to kill you." Samus points her held trophy, hoping that it can be used to destroy Falcon.

"Your stupid weapon won't stop me now. Also, now that you're all alone, let me do this quick." Falcon snaps his finger.

"AAAAAAHHHH!!!" Samus screamed as part of her face sloughed off and fell to the ground, where it turns out to be one of the blob creatures. It then moves back to Falcon, who absorbs it.

"Now you know why you're all alive and well this time. This is your first warning. If you refuse to give up my underling and accept the fact that what you're doing is pointless, I'll kill you outright. The next time I show up, you better keep that in mind." Falcon said before disappearing right before Samus's eyes.

With that injury, Samus becomes weaker again. With nothing but her hand to cover her face, she can only wander around confused before losing consciousness again due to the shock. Suddenly, a duo finds her.

"...Give me some bandages."


	15. Message from the Sky

Later that night...

"Wh-Where..."

"We're still at the forest."

Samus wakes up to see a bonfire and two of her allies, Mario and Donkey Kong. She then feels her face for a moment. The right side of her face, including her right eye, is covered in bandages. Her held trophy is fortunately still intact. Mario then begins to tell her what happened.

"We just saw it. Turns out our suspicions were right. We knew that Falcon must have done something to fix your facial injury. I have no idea why he chose to do that, but looks like we're in for a more dangerous situation."

Samus is left speechless.

"By the way, I know that the others are worried about us, but don't tell them that we decided to visit the forest on our own. Just... well... now that you're here, we hope you don't mind that helping you becomes our excuse."

Samus still does not speak.

"Now that's out of the way, here's the real reason why we're here instead of gathering info from the town. This part of the forest... this is where Princess Zelda's spirit usually shows up to us. We're thinking that she'll show up here again today, so we wait."

Donkey Kong looks up. A familiar yellow ball of light is floating down from the sky towards the trio. It brings along her scythe, which is thought to have been completely lost. Mario and Donkey Kong are of course surprised to see it again, while Samus, who is not familiar with the weapon, just stares at it in confusion.

"Princess... We're glad to see you again. And your scythe... I thought we'll never see it again after Falcon captured us back then."

Zelda's spirit then floats near Samus, finally seeing her for the first time. Mario tries to explain.

"Princess, this is our friend, Samus. Actually, we used to oppose her, but it's a long story. And Samus, this is the spirit of our caretaker, Zelda. This scythe I'm holding right now? Zelda used to wield this. She gave this to us because she put her trust on us to stop the crisis."

Samus then suddenly asks, "Luigi... Do you know anything about Luigi?"

The light just floats in place, as if she does not know. Mario tries to fill in. "Some explaining. Sorry for never telling you this sooner, Princess, but Luigi is my brother. Prior to him getting drafted into military and us getting kicked out from our home, he used to live together with Donkey Kong and I. Since then, he has changed... for the worse. The effects of the crisis have affected him."

Samus then continues the explanation by saying, "One day, I found him. I treated his injuries. He managed to liven up my place in return. It felt as if I've finally found company again. It became... an unhealthy obsession of mine, for the lack of better words. If only... If only Luigi can just behave as himself without his murderous alter ego..."

"We all wish for that ever since we've learned of Luigi's other identity. But alas... it's something more complicated." Mario said.

Zelda's spirit floats a bit to the left and then to the right, as if she is contemplating about what to make of this situation. Samus, Mario, and Donkey Kong can only look at her, awaiting her response. After a short while, Zelda then whispers to every one of the three.

"So the plan is... you want us to let Donkey Kong hold on to our trophy and your scythe? It's alright, I guess... but why?" Mario asked.

Zelda whispers to Mario.

"Ah, we have to trust on Donkey Kong to protect us while we're trying to face against Luigi's other identity and, possibly, Falcon. I see where you're going with this." Mario said. Samus is unsure what that means, causing Mario to explain, "Zelda believes that his other identity can be weakened if faced with people he's closest to. I'm his brother, obviously. You're considered as his best friend. Also, for a little background, Zelda initally only trusted Donkey Kong to take care of her trophy prior to her death. Both of us ended up taking responsibility anyway. She believed in Donkey Kong's strength at first. Looks like she can put that previous thought into her plan now."

Suddenly...

"I'M BACK!"

Falcon shows up before their very eyes, surprising them. He has made a quick return. Considering Samus's condition, Mario immediately gives the Smash Ball trophy and Zelda's scythe to Donkey Kong and instructs him to keep Falcon in place while Mario helps Samus escape. Meanwhile, Zelda's spirit floats back to the sky. As Mario and Samus are running away, Falcon tries to make a mad dash towards the path they are running through, but Donkey Kong blocks him. The gorilla then punches Falcon in the face, knocking him backwards. Donkey Kong then begins to swing his held scythe.

* * *

Mario and Samus keep on running through the forest, with no clue of where they have to go. They only think of distancing themselves as far away from Falcon as possible. Eventually, they come across a river with a very rapid flow. Samus begins to recall how familiar this situation is.

"Pathetic." Falcon suddenly showed up with a badly injured Donkey Kong. Samus and Mario begin to panic.

"That stupid ape thought that the useless trophy can weaken me. He also thought that he can cut me to pieces. You're all very sad people."

Mario stands in front of Samus, trying to protect her.

"I can't wait any longer. Now all you have to do is accept the fact that you're worthless and ready to be wiped out from this world. Or... you die."

Mario then says, "We refuse! Either option will lead us to be killed, you idiot! We will kill you first!"

"Uh oh, looks like we have someone smart here... Meh. Pathetic. Fine then, try to kill me if you admit you will."

Mario then leaps forward and begins to wrestle the bounty hunter impostor. Meanwhile, Samus can only watch. She is unsure of whether to run on the riverside or not, as she fears that Falcon will surprise her and, without Mario present if she runs away on her own, will kill her easily. Unsurprisingly, Falcon's improved strength causes him to knock out Mario just as easily, leaving Samus as the only one left. If Samus ran away on the riverside, she feared that her worries will come true. If she tried to fight Falcon by herself, she would end up like Mario and Donkey Kong if not killed outright. If she fell into the river, she would risk injuring herself more due to the rapids. However, recalling her past experience, she believes that someone might come and save her. With no other options, Samus chooses to jump into the river before Falcon can even reach her.

"Damn it. So it's suicide that you want, huh?! A coward's way out?! I'm not surprised that you would do that after being left alone! FINE!" Falcon shouted.

The river that carries Samus's body ends with a waterfall, just like her past experience. Her body ends up falling into a deep lake below, where she slowly loses consciousness.

_L-Luigi..._

A hand suddenly reaches out from the surface to save her.

* * *

Samus finally wakes up once again on dry land. She is greeted with the sight of Luigi and Link. It turns out that Luigi was the one who saved her. Link also happens to recover her Super Mushroom trophy again, which she lost her grip on after falling into the river, just like before.

"Th-Thank you..." Samus weakly said.

"You're welcome." Luigi said. "But, geez, we've been looking for you for hours. How come you weren't in town? We're so worried about you!"

"It's... It's Falcon."

"Falcon?!"

"I... found him here... in this forest... Urk..."

Realizing that the whole thing started out with Falcon's sudden appearance, Luigi says, "You know what, how about you tell more of this later? You just woke up. Please rest a bit more."

The yellow ball of light, Zelda's spirit, suddenly floats down to their place.

"Whoa, what's this? Reminds me of something." Luigi said.

Link recognizes the light, as Zelda is one of the original chosen before her unfortunate death caused her key trophy to be passed on to Mario and Donkey Kong. Zelda's spirit appears to recognize Link as well, as she floats near him to communicate for a bit. After learning of this situation, Link holds the Super Mushroom trophy with both hands and begins to close his eyes, concentrating. Luigi does not understand why he does that, while Samus knows that what he is doing means Link is about to utilize the trophy's power. Suddenly, something unusual is happening. Instead of a vision forming from only Link's point of view, all four end up in some sort of alternate dimension where the trophy's recorded memories begin to be displayed, making it as if they are present in the events but they cannot interact with anything in that dimension. Among them, the memories played out include Luigi's Mr. L form soaked in blood after his attack in the town's hospital, Samus facing against Mr. L in Falcon's base, and Samus talking with Luigi in her base.

"These are..." Samus said.

"...everything related to my actions in the past." Luigi said. "I didn't know it can do that."

Zelda's spirit then whispers to Luigi to explain the trophy's power in detail. He gasps in surprise after hearing the complete explanation. "I-I can't believe it! No wonder it's all related to me!"

After a while, suddenly Zelda's spirit takes the form of her real self back when she was alive. She is a blonde Hylian princess with blue eyes. She wears a gold tiara with a red jewel embedded on it. She also wears a white and purple dress with a red belt on her waist, gold bracelets on both arms, and brown high heels. Samus and Luigi are surprised to see this.

"This... is what I used to look like. The trophy's power allows this to be possible, but only in this dimension. Once it is gone, I will revert back into my spirit form. After observing more of the current situation, I am going to deliver a message to you two." Zelda said.

"Wow... I'm more surprised that this is even possible! Sorry, I'm still in awe at what's happening." Luigi said.

"Now listen up. It is very highly unlikely for me to show up like this again in the future, so make sure you can fully understand what I am about to say. Are we in the clear?"

Samus and Luigi nod.

"First off, regarding Luigi's other identity. After watching these memories, I can see why it is a big problem. Your other identity, Luigi, only has the mind of killing. However, despite all that, you are still you, albeit with your real thoughts being drowned out by your other identity's. Ever since you gained such identity, the enemy will be more than happy to use it to help them reach their goal easier. I only have one solution to this: you can learn to control it. You can turn it into something that can be used for good. You can use it to make you feel more confident in taking down the enemy. I know, it sounds outrageous to you. I know, it will take a lot of time and effort to master it. However, from what I observed, apparently the key trophies are no longer as helpful in repelling the anomalies. That only leaves you with that option. If you don't learn to control it, the enemy will hinder your progress a lot."

"Learn to control it, huh... I don't want to make everyone difficult, but how? How do I learn to control myself?" Luigi wondered.

"As this is unique to you, you have to find that out yourself. You have to put your best efforts in not letting the anomalies fully control your mind."

"Hmm..."

"Next, regarding the mission to wipe out the anomalies. The only information I can give to you is based on past information I learned when I was alive and observations as a spirit. There are six key trophies, but that does not mean there are exactly six holders. The current holders of the Smash Ball trophy consist of two, Mario and Donkey Kong, for example. While living trophies like Link assist in finding the hidden key trophies and uniting them with the worthy holders, one in particular is hard to find even by the living trophies: The Assist Trophy. But it is also the most dangerous, because if it is held by a wrong person, it can potentially start out calamities."

"Hold on..." Samus said. "Assist Trophy... we've known about that thanks to one of our allies. We even found its holder. How do we make sure that it's the right holder?"

"Oh, really? Looks like you're on the right path. However, as for knowing whether the holder is 'right' or not... we cannot tell by the holder alone. It all depends on their deepest desires and thoughts. And people's thoughts keep changing. Just be very aware if something is off." Zelda explained.

"...Alright. On another note, we have found four out of six key trophies. I wonder if you happened to see the other two."

"The other two? So far I have seen your trophy and the Smash Ball trophy. And you just claimed that you've found the Assist Trophy's holder. What's the other one you've found?"

"That would be Jeff's trophy, which depicts some sort of badge."

"I see. The Franklin Badge trophy. That leaves only the Sandbag trophy and the Great Fox trophy then. From my observation, I believe I saw two adventurers, with one of them holding the Sandbag trophy. Their names are Barbara and Jill. The Great Fox trophy is held by someone named Krystal, located much further away. Unfortunately, as it was a long time ago, I cannot tell where they are now. I learned that Barbara's full name is Barbara the Bat, but she does not look like a bat, more like a human woman with purple hair. Jill is a young child in a drill mech. Krystal is an anthropomorphic blue vixen. Keep that information in mind, and hopefully you can find them. But there is one last key to unleash the true power of Smash Tower after placing all those key trophies. You need to sing a song. Unfortunately, only very few know how to sing it properly, so this is the hardest part of the mission. If I was still alive, I would be the one to sing. However... lost spirits cannot go inside the Smash Tower, and even if that's not the case, I don't think my singing can be heard by the tower."

"Young child in a drill mech... why does this sound familiar to me...?" Samus thought.

"However, I also have to deliver you information about our known enemies. As I look at these memories, I've finally learned that Falcon is a lookalike created by the anomalies to blend in with this world's people. However, you have to be very aware that because of this, you will never know if his underlings will be 'resurrected' this way. You will also never know if Mario and Donkey Kong will succumb to the anomalies as well, considering they used to work for Falcon. Be very careful. Especially you, Luigi. I cannot emphasize it enough."

"Will do." Luigi said.

"And that's all the information I can give. I hope with my message here, you'll know clearly what to do. This dimension cannot be sustained for too long." Zelda said before reverting herself back into her spirit form. Link then stops the Super Mushroom trophy's effect, causing the four to return back to the forest.


	16. Unstable

Link becomes tired from utilizing his power. Samus and Luigi, as well as Zelda's spirit, naturally get concerned. Link has dropped to his knees, still holding the Super Mushroom trophy. He tries to keep a neutral expression to make the others not worried, but that does not help one bit. Zelda begins to have a worrying thought, then she floats near Samus and Luigi, whispering to them. The two are surprised. The three then look at Link, who now appears to look hazy and begins to flicker in and out of existence. His life force is weakening. The power of the living trophies has been infected by the growing anomalies. Zelda then whispers something to Samus and Luigi again, delivering more bad news.

"He will... cease to exist...?" Samus said.

"Everything seems to be getting worse over time... I obviously hate it." Luigi said.

"But... if he disappears, won't that mean the end of the world?"

Zelda's spirit floats up and down, confiriming the affirmative.

"We don't have time to dawdle anymore! What should we do now?!" Luigi begins to panic.

Before Zelda can even whisper to them again, they are suddenly surprised by a loud thump nearby. Someone has made a shocking landing.

Captain Falcon has discovered their location yet again.

"I thought that you wouldn't survive the fall this time, but how wrong I am." Falcon said.

Samus and Luigi begin to brace themselves for a fight, while Zelda's spirit and Link can only watch.

"You've become very persistent these days... I know your reality-bending power has grown a lot since our last encounter, but I never thought that it's that fast. No matter what, I refuse to have Luigi taken with you!" Samus shouted.

"Heh, heh, heh... You sure know me so well, miss space suit. I love your determination, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm already winning. Look at your friend there... He's on his last legs, don't you think?" Falcon said while pointing to Link.

"How dare you..."

As the exchange between the two happens, Link can only think. Samus has changed a lot over the course of their mission. The first time he was properly introduced to her back in Popo's house, he only saw her as a mostly reserved person that appears to hate fighting or just hate danger in general. But as Samus stays with the group together more and more often, he gradually sees more of her true nature. Since her thoughts have been focused more on Luigi and Captain Falcon, she has showed more of her caring side as well as her seething hatred of anything that tries to ruin peace. Link knows Samus sees Luigi as a gate opener to a wider interpersonal relationship for her. Link knows Samus fears Luigi's murderous alter ego as he reminds her more of Captain Falcon, which in turn, she dreads for disturbing her relationships as well as peace, both her mind and everything around her. Link no longer doubts everything related to Samus in the mission. He remembers just silently not believing that he could help Samus rescue Luigi. He remembers all those negative thoughts, but turns out he could. He did it. While it took the help of others, he managed to help reunite Samus and Luigi the first time before the latter disappeared in the blink of an eye. Link then looks at the Super Mushroom trophy, as well as his hazy look. He knows his time is almost up, but he believes that Samus and Luigi can resolve everything now.

Even as a living trophy now threatened by the possibility of sudden disappearance that can end the world, he no longer sees them as merely the chosen people. They are living human beings with emotions, intelligence, and desires. Link can finally comprehend that. Until then, his only "friend" was Popo, whom he put his trust onto because Popo is one of the very few who study the world seriously. Deep in his thoughts, Link now wishes that if only he could comprehend the nature of living beings, especially the sentient ones, much earlier.

Suddenly, in the middle of the whole trouble, a ball of light floats down towards Samus and Luigi. It is the same two-dimensional light that took Luigi's hat a long time ago. Another ball of light is also floating down towards the duo. This one looks like the usual ball of light, albeit more purple. Falcon, realizing what those two lights are, begins to slowly back off. Samus and Luigi only stand there confused as they watch Falcon making three steps backward before turning his back on them and running away in anger.

"What just happened? And are these lights-wait a minute..." Samus said.

"Hey... you look familiar, but I can't seem to put my finger on it..." Luigi wondered.

Link, who has regained a bit of his strength, gets up and walks towards the duo, followed by Zelda's spirit.

"Hey, Link, Zelda. These two lights remind me of something familiar, yet I'm not really sure." Luigi said.

Zelda floats near Luigi and whispers to him.

"M-my acquaintances?! What do you mean, 'these may be _my_ acquaintances'?"

Link holds out the Super Mushroom trophy, asking Luigi to hold it. By then, Luigi already knows its power, so he tries to use it. He closes his eyes. The trophy begins to glow in his hands.

A vision is formed. Years ago, Luigi was seen running away from an enemy base in panic, apparently having messed up with the attack plan, which somehow involves a fake package delivery, as he was running with it. As the Bob-ombs were chasing after him, Luigi tried to strike back by throwing the knife hidden in the package, only to hit one of his allies, Mewtwo, instead. His another ally, Mr. Game and Watch, distracted the Bob-ombs by throwing two-dimensional bombs of his own. Luigi asked Mr. Game and Watch to hold onto his package while he ran back to save Mewtwo from his own mistake. Luigi tried to pull out the knife from his ally's chest, while Mr. Game and Watch did not realize that he accidentally got some glue from the badly-made package stuck to his hands. He struggled to throw away the package just so he had free hands to unleash yet another bomb. He managed, but the same could not be said for the bomb itself. It got stuck. Despite his best efforts, he could not throw it away, so he decided to ask Luigi for help. Luigi suddenly pulled out the knife, but in the process he accidentally swung it in such a way that it cut off Mr. Game and Watch's body in half horizontally, at the same time exposing his stored bombs inside his backpack. Unfortunately, Mewtwo could not be saved, and Mr. Game and Watch's active bomb finally exploded, destroying the rest of Mr. Game and Watch and launching Luigi and the dead Mewtwo back into the jungle. The opposing army, led by Captain Falcon, began their search for the only survivor. As they passed by Mewtwo's charred corpse, Luigi had already hidden himself by burying himself beneath the dirt. Luigi was horribly traumatized, as the whole failure was due to his fault. Suddenly, dark aura began to appear and envelop him. Falcon noticed a dirt mound was moving slightly, so he commanded the Bob-ombs to brace themselves. In a span of only few seconds, Luigi's dark alter ego, Mr. L, popped out from the ground, managed to punch away one of the Bob-ombs, then grabbed another Bob-omb and threw it back to the opposing army, causing multiple explosions. Falcon was surprised, but the explosions did not hinder him even physically in trying to fight against Mr. L one-on-one. He even managed to rip off both of Mr. L's hands in the process. Despite that, it still didn't stop the latter from lashing out and striking back with the sharp edges of the exposed, torn bones. The two kept on fighting violently until Falcon got cornered near a steep cliff, where Mr. L proceeded to finish him off by pushing him off the cliff before pushing down a huge log to crush him. After all that, he ran away while laughing maniacally. The vision then ends.

After watching the whole thing, Luigi's right eye begins to twitch and dark aura begins to appear on his body. Seeing this, Samus immediately hugs Luigi to try to calm him down. Hearing Samus calling his name and asking him to control himself, he manages to snap out of it, but he is still traumatized by what he just saw.

"I... I'm sorry. Please give me a minute. No, maybe longer." Luigi said.

Samus stops hugging Luigi. She worries that the two lights are tied to something that triggered the appearance of Luigi's alter ego for the first time. Usually she would interrogate them, but this time, she decides to not heat up the situation this time. Zelda, seemingly understood the situation, floats near Samus and whispers to her.

"Get help from a nearby town? Are you sure about this?" Samus asked.

Zelda nods.

"Perhaps... the hospital can provide some sort of therapy for Luigi. Maybe that can help him control himself. Let's go back."

The four then try to find their way back to town.

* * *

Back at the hospital, the two nurses have managed to clean up the mess. However, they end up being saddled with tending to multiple injured people, including the badly injured town guard, who now has a bandage over his left eye.

"Purin purin?" Jigglypuff asked about the town guard.

"Mr. Falco has been taken care of. Other than the injuries, he doesn't seem to have any other problems." Peach replied.

"...Purin?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. We've used to tending to a lot of patients at the same time, you know. I know it's exhausting, especially at night without sleep. But there's no giving up."

Later, while the nurses are still busy with their jobs, Link's group has finally arrived. Peach is the first to notice.

"Hey! Welcome back! Sorry that we're still busy..."

"It's alright..." Samus said. She looks at Luigi, who is still quite frightened. Worried that she would make things worse by talking about the previous attack, she decides to not speak up about it. Instead, she asks Peach to listen to her whisper. After telling her, Peach then says, "I see. Let's see what Jigglypuff and I can do to help. Let us think about that for a moment. Huh?"

Samus is confused, until she notices that Peach is now looking at Link, who still appears slightly hazy-looking. Trying to hide his true nature, Samus blurts out, "Excuse me, but what's with that look? I don't see anything."

"Your friend over there... Is it me or he looks strange?"

"I don't see anything wrong with Link. Must be your imagination."

"Hm. Maybe I should do an eye check-up next time. But anyway... we're currently taking care of a lot of patients here. If you see someone familiar here, maybe you can take a look."

Suddenly, an ambulance has arrived near the hospital doors. Inside, there are the injured bodies of Mario and Donkey Kong.

"Oh dear. More injured people..." Peach said.

Samus and the others just stand there speechless.

* * *

The next morning, Mario and Donkey Kong finally regain their consciousness. They notice that some of their body parts are covered in bandages.

"You're alive... Thank goodness." Samus said.

"...Where am I?" Mario weakly asked.

"You're at the town hospital. Apparently someone, or some people, found both of you unconscious in the forest. We're busy at the moment, so I believe they asked one of our town guards to drive the ambulance to your location." Peach explained.

"...Where... are the others...?"

"...I hate to admit, I haven't seen the others yet. Even here." Samus replied.

"The parka kid... Not even here?"

"We're focused in trying to help Luigi at the moment, so we haven't gone anywhere else right now."

"You already knew this... but Link... you're also in grave danger."

"Are you talking about-"

"Yes. That. Your unexplained recovery. Now this should be explained."

Link is not sure what Mario meant, so Samus tries to make it clear. "Link, remember when we were attacked early in our mission by Falcon's army after we encountered the squid monster? We somehow recovered, well, most of us. Only Marth still has his hand missing. There's an explanation for that."

Mario then continues Samus's explanation. "I already suspected it from the start that Falcon must have involved those creatures to heal you. But after seeing what happened to Samus yesterday, looks like it's true. Link, it's possible that you as well as the others have traces of the blob creatures on your body. We have to reach Smash Tower fast before you suddenly rot."

Link is not surprised, as if he is already aware that something feels off yet he is unsure about telling it.

Suddenly, the door is open. Jigglypuff walks in.

"Purin."

"Ah. Jigglypuff. So how did everything go?" Peach asked her fellow nurse.

"Purin... purin purin."

"What?! You let him go on his own? Won't that be too risky?!"

"Purin! Purin purin purin..."

"I see. Even after last night's therapy, he still wanted some peace for himself."

"Luigi? Did he go far away? Leaving town?" Samus became worried again.

"Purin, purin, purin." Jigglypuff replied.

"Jigglypuff said that Luigi decided to clear his mind in the forest. Why he decided to go there of all places, I'll never know. The thing is, he insisted on leaving. So... to not put him in a worse stress, Jigglypuff let him go." Peach translated what Jigglypuff said.

"No... we were already caught in a dangerous situation there before. I can't leave him." Samus said before running out from the room.

After that, Peach says, "Sigh... I feel bad for all of you. Despite this, we don't know how exactly we can help. You all seem to be in a bigger trouble than I expected."

"It's alright, nurse... We've gone through a lot. Trust us that we can handle it." Mario said. "By the way, Link..."

Link pays his attention to Mario.

"Don't forget what I just said. Inform the others. I know we're not fully recovered yet, but we have to make haste. If we delay it any longer, doom will be certain."

Link nods before walking out of the hospital room.

"Anyway... want cake?" Peach offered the two patients.

At the forest, Samus begins her frantic search for Luigi. She does not want to lose the plumber anymore. Without any guidance, she just randomly searches through the forest. Suddenly, she is stopped by something. The two-dimensional light. But this time, it has Luigi's green hat. It offers the hat back to Samus, as if to apologize for stealing it long time ago. Samus takes it.

"Oh. Thank you. I haven't seen this for a long time. Glad to see it again. But... can you help me find Luigi? He's somewhere in the forest."

The light floats up and down, agreeing to accompany her.


	17. Do Not Leave Me

As Samus and the two-dimensional light are still traveling through the forest to find Luigi, Samus keeps thinking to herself, "I don't want to be separated from Luigi again..."

The two keep going deeper. And deeper. And deeper. Soon enough, they come across some traces of blood on the grass. Samus begins to feel uneasy, but she tries to push on. Several steps later, she finds a white glove slightly dipped in blood. At that point she begins to feel unsure. Whose glove is this? The glove seems to be more reminiscent of the ones worn by Mario or Luigi, but the former has both gloves intact, while the latter no longer wears them since Falcon's capture. It might be possible that the glove was left there back when he was carried away, but the thing is, the blood she has been seeing appears to be new. Not dry at all. Could there be something else?

Of course. She finds a knife soaked in blood.

Samus remembers that Luigi still keeps the weapon even after his rescue. But considering that he is still prone to unleashing his alter ego, the obvious assumption is formed. With only the random pools of blood to guide her way, Samus, while holding the Super Mushroom trophy tightly, quickly makes a mad dash to where she thinks Luigi is. The two-dimensional light quickly follows her, not wanting to be left behind.

* * *

Meanwhile, Link is walking through the town to find the others. As he walks, a thought suddenly crosses his mind.

## FLASHBACK 05: MELODY

_Running SubjectIdentifier…_

_…_

_Now loading…_

* * *

KRRZT… KRRZT…

Bzzt… bzzt…

.

..

…

It was midnight. Bright stars and the moon decorated the clear sky. It was very calming.

Link was by himself that night. He was walking up a grassy hill. It was not a rough walk, and eventually he reached the top. There, he pulled out a flute and started playing it. He felt at peace. But suddenly, someone else sang along.

"La-la, la, laaaa... La-la, la, laaaa..." a female voice was heard.

Link briefly stopped playing. He looked around, but no one else was there. He kept on playing.

"La-la, la, laaaa... La-la, la, laaaa... La-la, la, laaaa... La-la, la-la-la-la-la-la-la-laa..." the mysterious voice sang again. This time, Link did not pay attention to it. He kept playing the flute.

Once he finished playing, he finally felt calmer, like a burden had been lifted up from his back. The voice remained a mystery, though Link began to assume that it was the sound of the forest down below. It was as if the song he was playing managed to resonate with the world if that was the case. He then walked down back to the forest, still underneath the beautiful night sky.

KRRZT… KRRZT…

Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

Krrrrrrrrrr…

Bzzt… bzzt…

## END

* * *

Back in the sinister part of the forest, Samus and the two-dimensional light eventually end up in near-complete darkness, as if the thick trees have formed a cave that completely blocks sunlight. Only the light, despite appearing two-dimensional, can still provide proper lighting to help guide Samus. She has never been in that part of the forest before, so the possibility of getting lost is much more certain.

Eventually, she begins to murmur random thoughts as she keeps going further.

_Sometimes we enjoy..._

_Sometimes we experience the love..._

_It was..._

_Until life leaves and betrays all of us..._

_I remember those eyes..._

_Whenever I see them..._

_It is like seeing only death..._

_No kindness at all._

The light itself begins to feel uneasy, but it does not know what to do. Not much later, the two spot a pair of glowing eyes in the distance. Despite the sinister feel, the two go toward it.

* * *

Back at the town, Link has arrived at Popo's house. He knocks on the door. No one answers. He knocks on it again. Same result. Something feels off. Link opens the door, which is somehow unlocked. Popo never leaves his door unlocked.

Inside, nothing seems out of the ordinary. All furniture are still intact. There are no signs of anyone breaking in. It is a miracle that no one even robbed the place, considering that Popo's house is rich in treasures and important exploration tools. But still, the fact that the door itself is somehow unlocked implies that something has gone wrong. Now, Link is not sure whether to leave the house, as only Popo has the house key, yet he is nowhere to be seen, and Link does not want to risk it being robbed in a later time.

Suddenly, he spots Nurse Peach running by. She sees Link, so she quickly approaches him and asks him a question, "I'm sorry, but have you seen the coat-wearing man and gorilla? They've gone missing while we were busy with other patients!"

Link does not believe it, until...

"Considering their condition, they shouldn't have been able to escape on their own! I'm worried that maybe someone went out of their way to kidnap them! I can't imagine anyone cruel enough to kidnap injured patients!"

Link becomes alert. Such outrageous way of rendering the duo missing can only mean one thing. Link assures that he will try to help, but he insists that the town must be in lockdown first. Peach understands, so she goes off to let the authorities know about the plan while Link himself leaves the place, believing that the town guards will at least keep the house safe, even if the possibility of it being robbed is still high. There is no other choice for him, as he cannot just stay in place.

* * *

Samus opens her eyes. She has been lying down on the grass for quite a while, no longer in the dark part of the forest. When she gets up, she sees Luigi, who is his normal self. Seeing him, she immediately hugs him, crying.

"Why did you leave me without telling me earlier...? I'm afraid of losing you if anything bad happens..." Samus said.

Luigi is perplexed at her actions, so he replies by saying, "Samus... Sometimes I just need to be alone for a while. So much has been going on, I need to process every happening in my mind, okay?"

"But... but... you're in yet another dangerous situation! It took me a long journey, and I've gone through some horrors just to reach you. The dark forest... the blood..."

"Dark forest? Blood? What are you talking about?! I don't see anything like those in this forest. Also, I never intend to go too far into the forest anyway, what makes you think you were in a long journey? I can still see quite a bit of the town from here." Luigi pointed to some visible parts of the settlement between the trees.

After looking back to the direction Luigi pointed at, Samus finally realizes something. She did not go very far. Aside from getting the hat back from the accompanying light, she does not have anything else. The bloody white glove, the knife... They do not exist in Samus's possession.

"I think you're just exhausted and began to imagine things. It can happen, hahaha!" Luigi said.

Samus is left speechless. Realizing that she still has Luigi's hat in hand, she returns it to him.

"Oh! Isn't that...? My favorite hat! I'm so happy to see you! I don't care where and how you finally found it, but thank you!" Luigi said happily before replacing the beret on his head with his green hat.

"Well, well, well..." a man said.

Luigi and Samus look at the other direction. It is Captain Falcon, yet again. But now, he is accompanied by two familiar people.

Mario and Donkey Kong.

"Falcon!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Looks like it's back to the roots, don't you think? Samus... you're correct about me being persistent. But don't forget that I'm always one step ahead." Falcon said.

"Let go of my brother and Donkey Kong!" Luigi said.

"I won't."

"Mario! Donkey Kong! I'll help you escape!"

"You can't."

"Yes, I can!"

"Don't you see how they did not react to your cries? Now, I'm here to reclaim my lost ally. Mario, Donkey Kong, get them!"

"No..."

With Luigi's and Samus's guard down from the realization, Mario and Donkey Kong manage to successfully tackle them and tie them up with ropes. Donkey Kong begins to pull Luigi away from Samus, who is tied up by Mario. Samus also happens to drop her trophy in the process.

"GAH!!! I can't believe you've done this again! YOU'RE INHUMAN!!" Luigi shouted.

"DON'T LEAVE ME!!! LUIGIIIIIII!!!" Samus helplessly screamed.

"I'm indeed inhuman, so that's a compliment for me! Now, Donkey Kong, take Luigi along. And Mario... find a place to dump her body." Falcon said.

"...I will not let you do that to me!" Samus exclaimed.

_*SMACK*_

Samus's head gets punched by Mario, rendering her unconscious. With that, Falcon and Donkey Kong, who forcibly drags Luigi with the rope, leave the scene, while Mario goes somewhere else to do what Falcon commanded him to. Meanwhile, the two-dimensional light cannot do anything to help, as it is basically powerless on its own. It floats away, looking for help.


	18. Luigi...

Later that night, inside of what appears to be a laboratory...

"Hrm..."

Luigi is badly bruised. He has gotten beat up so badly, it is as if he is nearing his breaking point. Even the dark aura is emanating from his body. Suddenly, his injuries heal by themselves, though he still feels weak. He is currently isolated in a big, empty room, with only light blue on the walls and floor for color. The room is also soundproof. From the one-way window, Captain Falcon is watching his status. Another figure is also standing behind him, but is obscured by the darkness.

"Interesting. He's resisting. Even after we beat him up a hundred times and let the traces of our kind inside him heal him the same amount of times, he still refuses to cooperate." Falcon commented.

"I'm sorry, sir. Looks like we have to find another way to break him mentally." the mysterious figure spoke.

Falcon looks back, angry. "If only you were at my place back then, this whole plan wouldn't be this complicated!"

"I'm really, really sorry, sir. Research takes a long time, you know?"

"Grr... If you give me excuses one more time..."

"Eek! I'll shut up!"

Falcon does not respond back. He turns back to look at Luigi again. A few moments later, he finally thinks of something.

"You know what... I'd like to actually glimpse upon Luigi's mind. Directly. The last time I tried to do such thing, I had to rely on generating his lookalike to be a spy. I wonder what he's thinking now."

"O-Oh! Don't worry, sir, I got just the right thing! Please wait!" the figure said before leaving the scene.

A few minutes later, the figure returns, and with him, a strange radar dish-shaped machine. It has a control panel as well as a monitor attached to it, and it is supported by four small wheels.

"This thingamajig will fire an invisible beam towards Luigi. As long as it is on focus, or in other words, as long as Luigi does not move from the beam, this monitor here will visualize thoughts that are considered vital information to us. So, anything related to his allies and his deepest desires can be extracted for our own advantage. Don't worry, the beam can pass through the one-way window, so even he will not notice."

"Good. Now use it." Falcon ordered.

The mysterious figure lines up his machine with Luigi's position as Falcon takes a step aside. After pressing some buttons and pulling a lever, the machine begins to buzz.

"Alright. The beam should have been fired by now." the figure said. Just like what he said earlier, the beam is invisible.

The monitor on the machine turns on. At first, it generates fuzzy images. After a while, the images begin to become clear. The first thought shows Samus alone in the forest at night, holding the Super Mushroom trophy. She appears to be scared.

**Thought #1**

_Samus..._

_Where are you now...?_

_I wonder if you're okay..._

_I wonder what will happen to our trophy..._

_I have a feeling that you must be scared..._

_Lonely..._

_Helpless..._

_The forest at night is scary..._

_Please, Samus..._

_I hope you're okay..._

After hearing that, Falcon comments, "How am I not surprised...? He still thinks of that woman. I hope she's dead already. If Mario fails to make that so, I'll execute him. That would be perfect. If he knows his brother's dead, that would break him and I would finally claim victory with Lieutenant L's return. But I have to wait first."

The next thought is played. This time, it depicts Luigi in his normal attire, consisting of his signature green hat, green shirt, blue overalls, white gloves, and brown shoes. He is sitting alone at a green meadow under the clear sky during the day. A butterfly flies to his right arm. Curious, he looks at it.

**Thought #2**

_There's so much more of this world that I have yet to appreciate._

_But it's all ruined by this whole world-ending crisis._

_Sigh..._

_I miss being free._

_I miss my laid-back life, despite our home life not even close to luxurious._

_If only this whole crisis never happened in the first place..._

_I wish..._

"Hm. There's nothing much to exploit, but that still reminds me that the so-called world-saving mission is still on-going. At least we've hindered them more this time, but I can't help that something will come to bite me hard later." Falcon commented on that thought.

The third thought is played. It depicts Luigi with Samus, Mario, and Donkey Kong. All four appear to be bruised and have burn marks. They are walking through the burning forest, with Captain Falcon's silhouette visible among the flames further back.

**Thought #3**

_I want to save them all this time._

_Samus, Mario, Donkey Kong..._

_Thank you for having helped me a lot..._

_But I have yet to truly, properly, fully repay you..._

_Samus, I love your kindness... I'll never forget the time you cared for me way back then._

_Mario, you'll be always my caring brother no matter what. Nobody messes with big bro! We should be inseparable!_

_Donkey Kong, you're the best roommate we've ever had. Thank you for your reliability._

_Even through the harshest situations, I want to take my turn in saving them all!_

_The question is... where do I start? I can't let Falcon stop me this time._

Falcon begins to worry as the machine stops playing that thought. "Just when I thought he will think of a plan, it stopped. WHAT IS THIS?!"

"Er... maybe he really doesn't have any plans right now..." the mysterious figure said.

"But he has to! Thinking of escaping? He'll think of the many ways to do so! That's a thought! And that's a vital one! What kind of machine would miss something like that?!" Falcon shouted while lifting the mysterious figure by the collar.

"ACK!!! PLEASE GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE! PUT ME DOWN!"

The machine begins to play another thought, causing Falcon to stop and drop the poor scientist. He begins to watch what is being displayed by the monitor. This time, it displays Luigi and Samus standing while holding hands. They are in a forest during the day.

**Thought #4**

_I can't shake this feeling that..._

_Maybe..._

_Maybe Samus and I were made to be with each other..._

_Or..._

_Maybe Samus and I were supposed to meet each other for one specific reason..._

_Either way, I can't be sure..._

_What a random thought..._

_However..._

_That mushroom trophy seems to link us together..._

_Considering that it and the other trophies want us to save the world, hmm..._

_So the reason has to be that, but why link me with Samus, of all people?_

_I need to look more into it later once I'm safe, even for a short time._

_But regardless of all that..._

_I do love Samus._

"Interesting... There must be a part of this world's legend that concerns those two. If there's such thing, then murdering either of them will be my top priority. However... I still need Luigi because he has the most traces of our kind in his body compared to other mortals exposed to us. I'm just assuming this Captain Falcon identity, while Luigi... is still himself, albeit having most of his DNA tainted by our kind. The others that got affected, from what I've seen, do not exhibit this behavior and still behave as normal except for the fact that they can rot once we don't need them anymore. As for that Samus... yes... I hope she ends up dead. Even better if we can possess her in the same way as Luigi's, but killing her is a quicker option." Falcon commented before leaving the observation room.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an unknown part of the forest, Samus has regained her consciousness. She is completely alone and is still tied up. She begins to cry.

"Luigi..."


	19. Blend of Blood and Tears

*BZZT!*

The thought-reading machine suddenly breaks.

"Yikes! I forgot that this thing still needs more work. Damn. Time to fix it."

The mysterious scientist pushes his machine, leaving the observation room empty. Meanwhile, Luigi appears to have passed out. However...

_..._

_You're an interesting fellow..._

While his body does not move, Luigi's mind is still active. The voice then speaks again.

_I have never seen a specimen like this._

As it all exists within Luigi's mind, he decides to fully concentrate his mind in order to try to communicate with that voice.

_Hmm... You're not talking. Was it really that bad?_

Luigi begins to subconsciously visualize what is inside his mind. It takes place in the middle of a black void with random green lights floating around. He appears as his usual self in his normal plumbing attire. Meanwhile, the mysterious voice also takes a form.

It is in the form of Mr. L.

"You're... You're me! But not me." Luigi said.

_Ah. So you finally spoke._

"And about time you showed up! ...In my mind, at least. Anyway... who are you and what have you done to me?!"

_Heh, heh, heh... How surprisingly rude of you._

"Well, you're the one responsible for turning me into a sadistic murderer!"

_Okay. I'm sorry._

"...Wait. You're sorry?"

_What? Is that not enough?_

"It isn't enough! But that's not the point... You're born from those blobby liquid things not from my world... All you care is causing complete chaos here. I don't expect you to actually say sorry. ...Unless you're faking it."

_I actually am sorry._

"Alright. If that's genuine, how so?"

_Time to sit down and listen. This is going to be a long one._

Luigi is not sure whether to actually follow his exact words or not, but Mr. L continues explaining regardless.

_After learning about your world and the creatures inhabiting it, I've discovered many things. We are aggressive creatures by default. Our goal is to colonize everything. We have strong self-preservation. During our mission, we can usually hide ourselves within any sentient creature, living or dead. In the process, we gain whatever biological aspect that determines your identity. This is how we can even morph into someone who is supposed to be dead. Aside from that aspect, we also gain their memories and intelligence as well as emotion capabilities, so in theory, that would make a perfect disguise. As for you, however, something feels different. But first, a bit more explanation. You were alive when I first entered your body. As I mentioned before, I can read every aspect of your identity so I can make use of it later. And then that happened._

"You... completely took over my body?"

_It's true, yes, but do you remember when it was first triggered?_

Luigi begins to feel uneasy.

_It's alright. I won't take control of you._

Luigi sighs in relief. Then he says, "It was... during one horrible battle. I accidentally killed my allies. It was a horrible mess. I was so engulfed in guilt while at the same I also feared that my life would end right there. ...Anyway, you did say your kind has strong self-preservation. Does that have anything to do with that?"

_Well... it is. However, ever since then, I felt something... like a part of your personality... was starting to merge with me. That shouldn't be possible. We can show emotions, but not copy one's personality, let alone wholesale. I also suddenly gained the need to protect your body, not helped with our self-preservation._

"Huh. So that's why I managed to survive so much abuse. That personality thing, though..."

_You see, self-regeneration is one of our abilities, which is even useful to cover up injuries of a creature we're hiding in._

"I have a feeling that my friends might be possessed in the same way..."

_I can detect the presence of my kind, just not show it to you. I believe I sensed some in them._

"I knew it. But look now... you've caused so much trouble already, so let's get to the point already. Why do you feel sorry when your kind never understands us to begin with without having to possess them?! And how do you even copy my personality when all you care is killing?!"

_...After reading more of your identity, I gained an understanding that I guess... you never wanted this whole thing to happen. I can see now that you, and I believe the other creatures in this world, do not welcome us at all. It took a while, but that's how it is. You want us gone? Then so be it. Try to stop us. We are tough creatures. You want to rescue your loved ones? I'm not stopping you unless you lose control of yourself._

"That's... exactly my thought. And yet I'm speaking this from my mind..."

_As for the whole personality thing, have you noticed that you just resisted? As in, you kept me from taking over? A bit reminder that your "enemy" is also my kind, whom I will be more than happy to work together with._

"Yeah... Somehow after all that abuse, I still gained that uneasy feeling yet I didn't end up as my murderous self."

_That's the personality bit I explained earlier. It's a gradual process, but now I've come to this. Despite all this, however, when taking over I still have a mind of killing even after you learn all of this, so you're never free unless all of our kind is eradicated._

"I see now. All those kills I've done... I could feel it, even see it and remember it... but I couldn't do anything about it. It's finally clear that you can take over my body. But now I managed to resist, even a bit. ...Well then. Now that I've learned more about the reason I ended up like this, I'm sure that I'll be more confident in destroying you and the rest of your kind!"

_At this point now I have toned down my obsession with my self-preservation. Then again, it's because of you that my mindset has changed. Whatever you're doing, I only follow along._

Suddenly, there is a brief bright flash. Mr. L begins to feel disturbed. Back in the empty room, Luigi finally opens his eyes and looks up. Those are the two lights, the lost spirits of his fallen allies. He then remembers being rescued by those lights way back then.

"Hey... Mewtwo... and... Mr. Game and Watch, correct?"

The lights float up and down.

"Glad now I finally remember you, even though I lost you because of my fault... Anyway, how did you get here? There's no way in."

Mewtwo's spirit then shows Luigi, who is now beginning to get up, how. There is a small hole in one corner of the room, specifically the right corner behind where Luigi is. Luigi, who is now on his knees and facing that particular corner, understands, but he still has no clue about how the lights even followed him to the laboratory and how he can escape said place. In response, Mewtwo's spirit whispers to Luigi, saying that the two lights just happened to come across the building during their search and had a suspicion that Luigi would be there. As for the escaping part, Mewtwo has no idea for the moment.

Mr. Game and Watch's spirit, who is floating near the door, begins to sense someone coming, so he warns Luigi to stay still like before while both spirits hide and observe the situation. Luigi agrees and begins to lay face-down in the same position, facing the one-way window.

"I don't care about your stupid machine anymore now that I know what I'm doing! Now stay here and keep a close watch on that Luigi until I return! If you don't... I will execute you... Ike." Falcon revealed the name of the mysterious scientist.

"Hmph..." Ike, a blue-haired man in a white lab coat, has no choice but to follow Falcon's orders.

After Falcon left the place, Ike looks through the one-way window again. Luigi is still not moving. Ike keeps watching for an hour. Luigi still does not move an inch. Eventually, the scientist starts to get bored. He starts to have a thought that he can take an even closer look at Luigi. Ike scans his key card on the door to Luigi's room. The door opens and he enters. While that is happening, the lights are hiding in the hole they entered from so that Ike does not spot them. Ike begins to observe Luigi up close.

Meanwhile, in Luigi's mind...

"Oh no... What should I do? There's this weird blue-haired scientist near me... I don't know what he's trying to do."

_I can end him. He has abused you too much._

"But... but..."

Luigi's mind fades before he can even speak his mind more. The dark aura begins to emanate from his body again, alerting Ike. Ike begins to take a few steps back, unsure how dangerous Luigi would be without Falcon around. When Luigi finally stands up, he is already in Mr. L form. He gives Ike a sinister glare, causing the latter to fear for his safety and run away from the room. He tries to close the door in on Mr. L, but the latter stops him before the door closes in. His alter ego has so much more strength compared to his normal self, it renders Ike's effort moot, knocking him to the side once the door fully opens again. With Ike prone, Mr. L begins to scan his surroundings for something that he can use to kill the scientist. He finds two pencils on one of the tables in the observation room. He picks them up and leaps onto Ike who can only panic at the sight of the killer falling onto him. Upon landing, the two pencils on Mr. L's right hand pierce through Ike's eye sockets, causing him to let out a bloodcurdling scream. Mr. L keeps jabbing the eye sockets with the pencils before deciding to pick up a small drill on another table and use it to drill through Ike's skull and brain. In the whole process, however, unlike his usual killing session, Mr. L is now visibly crying. Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch, who watch the whole thing in horror, nod at each other, planning to bait themselves in front of Mr. L so that he can follow them to the outside. They begin floating near Mr. L, bothering him and causing him to let out a feral roar before chasing them. The plan works.

The two lights begin to navigate through the few rooms of the thankfully small laboratory building. As they float away, Mr. L runs after them, destroying various things in every room and corridor he comes across if they block his way. Eventually, the three exit the building, but the course is still not clear for the spirits, as Mr. L is still very aggressive. The two lights keep floating away further from the laboratory, trying to tire Mr. L out, as they hope that in doing so will revert him to Luigi.

Later, they end up at a meadow near a field full of dandelions. At that point, Mr. L has gotten very tired and finally collapses on the grass, turning him back to Luigi. The lights then approach Luigi, but as he passed out from exhaustion, they decide to leave him be until he can wake up.

* * *

The next morning, Luigi opens his eyes. He is greeted with a sight of a grassy field with dandelions. Some of them have floated away by the wind, but a few somehow still remain. Luigi takes his time to enjoy the view, calming him down despite being soaked in blood. The spirits of Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch come to visit him, with the latter bringing the Super Mushroom trophy.

"Whoa! That's my trophy! Thank you for recovering it! But... you don't happen to see Samus... right?" Luigi said.

The lights just float in place.

"...I guess I'll take that as a no."

Luigi sighs in disappointment. At this point, with no helpful guide from the Smash Ball trophy and no other clues to where Samus is, he is basically lost. It also does not help that he still has more questions regarding himself that have yet to be answered. As he looks at the Super Mushroom trophy, his eyes begin to get teary.

"If only... this trophy... If only this trophy can help me in the same way as Mario and Donkey Kong's trophy... Speaking of them, I'm worried if they end up attacking the others... Is Samus even still alive now? I don't know anymore..." Luigi said as his tears were rolling down his face. "Even with you two here... I still feel so alone..."

The Super Mushroom trophy suddenly begins to glow. The two spirits begin to have an unusual glow as well. Seeing this, Luigi wipes his tears off then says, "Huh? What's going on now? And what's wrong with you two?!"

The three are then teleported into a pocket dimension, similar to what happened when he was with Samus and Link, as well as with Zelda's spirit. Of course, like what happened to Zelda earlier, the two spirits take the form of Luigi's allies when they were still alive. Mewtwo is a Pokémon much taller than Luigi, about two meters tall. It looks like a humanoid creature with feline features. Its skin is gray, while its tail is purple. Mr. Game and Watch is a simple two-dimensional human being who is completely black with a white outline. His notable features are his short stature and his big round nose. He moves as if he has extremely limited animation, with stiff movement even during the most dynamic moments.

"Whoa... so it's not just Zelda who can become like this here..." Luigi said in awe.

"Beep! Beep!" Mr. Game and Watch greeted him. Mewtwo, however, stays silent.

"I miss seeing you guys like this. First of all, I'm sorry for my fatal mistake back then... I'm really, really sorry..." Luigi apologized.

Mr. Game and Watch is not sure how to respond to this, but Mewtwo is. It then speaks to Luigi using telepathy.

"Eh? Apology accepted? That's quick."

"We're already dead anyway. You can't do anything about it. You just have to move on, and try to make up for it." Mewtwo spoke through telepathy.

"...Alright then. Anyway, what's going on here this time?"

Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch look at each other briefly. They then shrug, having no idea about the situation.

"Hmm... I hope this trophy can give us some explanation." Luigi said.

A bright flash then covers up the entire pocket dimension. It then shows some sort of storytelling. It first shows the Super Mushroom trophy by itself, then the visuals change based on what is described.

* * *

Legend has it, that the Super Mushroom trophy is not only supported by the current holder, but also by the ones associated with said holder, even if they end up as lost spirits. It is said by uniting the closest ones together, an unbelievable power will awaken from within the holder's heart. Even if the holder is corrupted by the unwanted forces outside the Smash world, the power will overwhelm those forces. This is needed to ensure that whatever inscribed on Smash Tower's walls on this time period can remain true, thus securing victory as long as the current holder of the Super Mushroom trophy does not give up in eradicating the anomalies.

Always remember that whether the Smash world can be saved from the unwanted anomalies or not depends on the trophy holders' deepest desires. Only those who truly wish to give the world a second chance may unleash the true power of Smash Tower using the key trophies.

* * *

The light disappears, as well as the pocket dimension, reverting Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch back to their spirit forms.

"Ow... what was that all about? That was so sudden." Luigi commented on the surprising stream of information.

Suddenly, Falcon and his army spot them. Mario and Donkey Kong are among Falcon's army too. Their presence scares off the spirits.

"Well, that was sudden, alright. How unfortunate, suddenly encountering you in this place." Falcon said.

Luigi is a bit scared at first, but he then suddenly shows a slightly stern expression, as if he is feeling more confident. "Fine then, you got me."

Mr. Game and Watch's spirit is surprised to hear this. He tries to float down, but Mewtwo's spirit stops him. Mewtwo believes that Luigi might be planning something.

"What's this? You're accepting all of a sudden. I don't know what you're thinking, but we will always stop you no matter what. Mario, Donkey Kong, get him." Falcon said.

Mario then forcibly covers Luigi's mouth by tightly tying a handkerchief around the lower part of his face, while Donkey Kong cuffs Luigi's hands, with the handcuffs' chains connected to one of the Bob-ombs. This results in Luigi dropping the Super Mushroom trophy. Captain Falcon, noticing the trophy, kicks it away.

As Falcon and his army take Luigi away, the two lights can only watch due to them being badly outnumbered. After the army walked far enough, Mr. Game and Watch's spirit picks up the Super Mushroom trophy. At first, they are not sure what to do next this time, but they then remember what was said during their time in the pocket dimension. So, Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch decide to float away to go look for the others.


	20. Mute City and Silent Town

"Ssshhh... She's waking up."

Samus regains her consciousness. She is back at Popo's house. She is saved. Beside the bed she is lying down on, Popo, Link, and the spirits of Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch accompany her. In her right hand, she somehow ends up holding onto the Super Mushroom trophy once again.

"Before you ask, you're back at my house. Long story short, I met these two lost spirits and then eventually Link. Turns out you got into trouble, so we worked together in the search. We finally found you, but you looked... horrible. I even checked your body temperature. You got horrible fever." Popo said.

Samus does not respond. Instead, she looks around the room. She is still weak, but not as bad now.

"Say, Samus. There's something important we have to talk as soon as possible. If you can get up, we can chat over tea at my living room."

Samus manages to get up to a sitting position, even though she struggled a bit in the process.

"So I guess... you want to join us there?" Popo asked.

Samus just nods.

* * *

At Popo's living room, the three have changed into different clothes, as they need to wash their regular outfit first after such a long journey. All three are now wearing kimonos, with Samus wearing the leaf-patterned pink one, Popo wearing the blue one, and Link wearing the green one. Popo has already prepared some tea, as well as a plate of fruits, consisting of a watermelon and a few mangoes. Popo and Link begin to drink their tea, while Samus is still staring at the Super Mushroom trophy she is holding. After Popo finished his first sip, he looks over Samus and asks her, "Are you sure you're still feeling alright?"

Samus nods. Popo is not sure what to make of the situation, but he starts his talk regardless.

"So apparently, many things have happened ever since we split up. But first of all, regarding you, Samus. After you ran away from the hospital, Link and I managed to calm Luigi down. Actually, we got some help. There was this lost spirit that somehow managed to snap Luigi back to normal. Before I could even ask it anything, it flew away. But at that time, we focused on finding you, Samus. I don't know what just happened, but I can't believe you just ran away like that. During that search, we split up further. I went alone to search for the others, while I trusted Link and Luigi to find you. Link told me it was a success, and you even managed to avoid Falcon, but apparently I heard Luigi became mentally unstable or something so he got to be treated in the hospital only for him to go to the forest by himself. According to this, er, flat light, you found him once again, only to be forcibly separated by Falcon. And it turned out he got Mario and Donkey Kong for real. Then, after carrying you back here, the two spirits told me various things. Like the fact they're the spirits of Luigi's war allies, and they're the ones who successfully managed to track him down this time, even escaped together. But it then failed because Falcon's army noticed them. The spirits also told me that in order to help Luigi, they need help from those closest to her. It's highly specific, but I've heard of such legend. It might as well be a prophecy."

Samus is slightly surprised, even though she cannot communicate it with words right now. So many things have happened indeed.

"And this is why they asked us for help. You see, according to the legend, the trophy you're holding there can awaken a hidden power. I can't be sure if it's from you or Luigi, but the point is, awakening this power requires the presence of those who are the closest to the holder. I'm gonna assume it also applies to you, so we might as well count everyone directly involved in our mission. The lost spirits also count, so apparently they don't have to be properly alive for that. Since they're allied to Luigi in the past, they count as people closest to him. But we have some problems..."

Samus still remains silent, but she is rather curious.

"No matter where I look in this town, I couldn't find Jeff and Sophia. I even somehow lost Marth, the last person I can think of to even disappear without explanation. I even asked Link to search the whole town again in case I missed some spots but nothing still came out of it. Also, another problem has just been reported by Link. While I'm glad I don't end up mysteriously disappear, someone barged into my house... cleanly. As in, aside from leaving the front door unlocked, nothing inside my house was touched except for one thing. Whoever barged in managed to grab ahold of an important artifact in my secret stash... Why important? Because that particular artifact is what kickstarted my job of studying this world. It might be connected to the Smash Tower. I can't imagine what will happen to it in the wrong hands..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Captain Falcon and his army are marching their way through a ruined city. The sign outside says "Mute City", which might as well be a fitting name for such an empty place. In that city, there are not many buildings left standing. Even then, much of their walls are cracked, lost their paint job, or both. The helpless Luigi can only look at the bleak environment while he is forced to walk along. He then looks at Mario and Donkey Kong beside him, who are carrying some sort of heavy wooden contraption with some mechanism near the top controlled by a metal handle on the back. Whenever Luigi looks at the device, he begins to feel uneasy.

Once the army arrived at the heart of the city, the city square, Falcon stops the march and asks the Bob-ombs to stand at the edges of the city square just so Luigi will not escape easily. He also asks Mario and Donkey Kong to place the device in the middle of the city square. Meanwhile, the Bob-omb holding the handcuffed Luigi steps forward towards Falcon, who is standing beside the contraption, along with Mario and Donkey Kong.

"Welcome... to Mute City. A city with the exact population of zero. Oh, how I love that these wars managed to reduce a big city into nothing. This place should be perfect for what I'm going to do now..." Falcon introduced Luigi to the city. Luigi is visibly horrified.

"Heh, heh... I can see that you're back to being scared again. So much for giving in. You should know better than doing that. At all. Anyway... this device here... is a garrote. What is it, you ask? How about if you give it a try first?" Falcon said.

The Bob-omb drags Luigi near the device, where it releases the chain connected to the ones on his handcuffs. Captain Falcon then forces Luigi to sit on the wooden seat part of the device, his neck then tied into the device by a thick belt. It is not tightly tied, but what comes next will not mean any good. Donkey Kong, who is by the handle, begins to turn it, causing the belt to tighten around his neck, strangling him.

"HRMPH! HRMPH!!!"

Shortly after, however, Donkey Kong stops the strangulation mechanism and then turns the handle the other way around, loosening it and allowing Luigi to breathe. Captain Falcon then says, "Didn't that feel good? However... this isn't for you. I never wanted you gone this early, for I still want to make use of you more. I'm planning to execute someone who just failed me."

Luigi does not have any clue who. He is then shoved away from the device, landing on the dry ground. He tries to look at the device again, and that is when he finally realizes what the garrote is meant to be used for.

Mario willingly sits on the device.

"Donkey Kong, begin the execution." Falcon ordered the gorilla. Donkey Kong begins to turn the handle.

"MMMPH!!! MMMRMPH!!!" Luigi tried to scream out his brother's name, but is blocked by the handkerchief covering his mouth.

Mario begins to choke. Fearing of losing his brother's life, Luigi begins to willingly trigger his alter ego to come out. He closes his eyes tightly and tries to concentrate. Soon enough, dark aura begins to envelop his body. The Bob-ombs begin to brace themselves, while Captain Falcon grins in satisfaction. The force from the dark aura causes the handkerchief and the handcuffs to disintegrate immediately. Luigi finally gets up, now in his Mr. L form. He looks around for a weapon to use. Falcon offers him a machete by throwing it to the ground. He, of course, picks it up, but Falcon is in for a surprise.

Mr. L leaps towards Donkey Kong, knocking the latter backwards and stopping him from successfully executing Mario. The gorilla grips Mr. L's hands tightly just to avoid getting hit by the machete. He then throws Mr. L away when his grips cannot handle it anymore. However, Mr. L runs back to the device and breaks it into pieces, saving Mario. Falcon becomes baffled. The Bob-ombs then try to attack Mr. L, only for him to strike them away with the machete, triggering their self-destruction mechanism. The ensuing series of explosions is enough to cover the city square with thick smoke, distracting Falcon for a while. Once the smoke clears, only Captain Falcon stands among the Bob-omb shrapnel and the broken garrote.

"What... is... going on...?" Falcon murmured.

* * *

Back at the town, Link decides to visit the forest on his own without Popo and Samus knowing. He goes deep into the forest, eventually arriving on a hill that allows him a good view of the forest, including the nearby waterfall. There, he takes out his flute and, after closing his eyes, begins playing. It is the same tune as the one he played way back then. He even played that tune on a grassy hill like the one he is currently standing on, only difference being that it takes place during a cloudy day instead of a clear midnight this time. Unlike that time, however, no mysterious voice sings along. Instead, three lights gather near Link, one of them being Mr. Game and Watch's spirit. The other two spirits are both blue, but one is darker. The three lights float around as Link plays the flute, as if they are dancing. While still playing, Link begins to reminisce the first time he met Samus, when he gave the Super Mushroom trophy to her for the first time. It was a long time ago, but it still sits among Link's other fond memories. He thinks that without that meeting, the journey would have gone in an entirely different way, more likely to be hindered a lot.

Once he is done playing, the lost spirits float away before he can open his eyes. Meanwhile, Mr. Game and Watch's spirit comes across Mewtwo's spirit on the way back, presumably telling the latter than Link played the music beautifully. Mewtwo happened to hear it but was too late to visit. So, the two float back to town. There, they meet Samus who is walking alone, apparently having fully recovered. She is now in her Zero Suit plus the purple scarf.

"Oh. It's you two. Glad to see you again." Samus greeted the spirits. The two lights just float around her to express their relief of finding her in a healthy state.

"So... anything new...?" Samus asked.

The spirits just float side to side, as if saying no.

All of a sudden, there is snowing. It is finally winter time in that region. While the view is beautiful, the environment becomes colder, so the three decide to return to Popo's house for more warmth.

Later that night, the two spirits decide to leave on their own, trying to search for more clues about Luigi.

"I see. I understand where you're coming from. You don't want to risk us for now during the search. But remember to find us as quickly as you can after you can finally locate him." Popo told the two lights. Both Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch nod in agreement before flying out through the window.

Popo then talks to Samus and Link. "Well... while it looks like we can only wait, we have to make a plan. Traveling through the snow is much more dangerous, so let's prepare. And Samus... I'm glad you still keep the scarf."

And so, Popo and Link begin to make a preparation for the next part of their journey. Meanwhile, Samus goes outside and stands in front of Popo's house. She begins to wish for Luigi's, as well as the others', safety. She also wonders where they are now.

"It's snowing... Where are you...?"


	21. Don't Give Up!

Later that night, Luigi is now resting underneath a tree, with the unconscious bodies of Mario and Donkey Kong nearby. The snow had already fallen to that area. The jumpsuit he is wearing does not protect himself well from the cold, so he huddles between the unconscious Mario and Donkey Kong to try to stay warm. Even then, he is still shivering. Suddenly, Mr. Game and Watch's spirit float down to his position, having found him once again. Despite his two-dimensional trait, his presence still manages to give Luigi a bit of warmth when he lands on Luigi's arm. With Mr. Game and Watch's spirit by his side, Luigi begins to tell his story.

"...Y-You won't believe what just happened."

After a brief silence, Luigi continues despite slightly shivering.

"Th-That Falcon... Those Bob-ombs... Mario... Donkey Kong... I escaped Falcon and the Bob-ombs, saved these two. But now... I don't know what to do... It's getting so cold..."

Mr. Game and Watch tries to figure out what to do next. He cannot leave Luigi alone as he will never know when Mario and Donkey Kong will wake up and he does not want to risk Luigi into dying by cold. But if he does not leave to find Mewtwo and the others, it will only slow down the search. Noticing Luigi still shivering, Mr. Game and Watch has no choice but to stay in order to provide some warmth.

* * *

Meanwhile, Samus, Popo, and Link, all in their normal attire, are staying at the town's café, relaxing for one last time before setting off. The only other guests there are the two explorers Barbara and Jill. Kat, who is serving the trio tea, begins to chat with them.

"Long trip, eh? Sounds fun!" Kat began the conversation.

"Sounds so, but this is a dangerous one. We may or may not come back." Popo said.

"Ah. But even then I'm sure you'll be fine!"

As the chat is going on, Samus notices something about Kat. A young ninja girl. That reminds her of someone.

"The great Kat is always happy to serve visitors here. Never mess with the power of good mood!" Kat happily said.

"Well, I guess you do have a point. No point in feeling pessimistic all the time." Popo said.

"See, I told you! Ah... the fun of exploration and discovery... I miss those things. I used to go to many places with my sister Ana. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen her for a long time."

"Huh?" Popo was confused for a moment. Then, the trio finally remember it. Ana used to work for the horrible Prince Joe. Since their escape from his kingdom, much of Ana's fate is left up in the air. Trying to not make Kat sad, Popo says, "...I'm sure she'll be fine. I think she's just, uh, resting at another town. I believe she can take care of herself, much like you."

"Thanks, but I'm still worried. Maybe I can believe that she's at another town when it's snowing, but she's not even visiting here long before that. I forgot how long since then, but it's totally a long, long, long time ago. We're strong, but it doesn't seem right if we're missing each other." Kat said.

"Oh... Well, we can only hope she'll come back here soon. We, uh, haven't even seen her yet, so that's that."

"Hmm..."

Suddenly, Barbara, who has been watching the whole conversation, decides to speak up. "Sorry to break your mood further, but being separated is already inevitable considering the current state of the world."

The others look at the two explorers. Popo asks, "Excuse me, but who are you? You can't just expose the harsh truth to a little girl like that."

"Sigh... I'm Barbara, and this is Jill. Harsh truth to a little girl? Jill here definitely has already learned it at her age. You can't hide it now when the world is in crisis."

"Yeah! Yeah! I've lost my adoptive brother during all that!" Jill exclaimed.

"Ouch... that's horrible. I guess you're right. Ana might have disappeared for good..." Kat said.

"Kat..." Popo became worried.

"But that does not change the fact that she might still be out there, somewhere. I wouldn't know until I can see her again!"

Popo sighs in relief. Samus and Link, upon remembering what Zelda said about Barbara and Jill, nod at each other. Samus then takes her turn asking the two explorers.

"Excuse me. I see that you're just as aware of the crisis as my companions do. Forgive me if my question doesn't seem right, but... are you also hunting for trophies?"

Noticing the Super Mushroom trophy in Samus's hands, Barbara gets the idea. "Oh, the one like yours? What coincidence, we happen to have one right here."

"Show them! Show them!" Jill happily said.

Barbara pulls out her trophy from her explorer bag. It depicts a white sandbag with black bead eyes. There is no mistaking it, this is the key trophy called the Sandbag trophy.

"To elaborate more, we also happen to take pictures of a particular trophy. Some sort of mafia and his gorilla pet own it. They're very stubborn, they didn't want us to waste time, so I could only get these pictures." Barbara said while Jill showed off the photos of the Smash Ball trophy from three different views.

"Hey! That's Mario and Donkey Kong's trophy! Where and when did you take those photos?!" Popo exclaimed.

"Ah, so those are their names. Anyway, these photos were taken from a long time ago. We happened to encounter those two in the nearby forest. What happened to them after that, we don't know, since, once again, it's a long time ago."

"Well, that didn't help. Now I'm curious. How did you find that Sandbag trophy?"

Barbara and Jill look at each other briefly, as if they do not have a clear idea how exactly they found it. Barbara can only reply, "The truth is, we just picked it up when we were exploring a nearby cave. The one by the beach. It's not too far from the town, so it baffles us how no one else even managed to discover it. Granted, it is located deep inside. And... oh! Speaking of that cave... I'm not sure if we're allowed to talk about this to you, but this might be a useful info for our journey."

"If it's something to do with Smash Tower, we can listen."

Realizing how tense the conversation is and the fear of overhearing some sort of secret information that might put her in danger if she gets involved, Kat decides to leave the café early. "Well, um, it's getting late. I have to go home. For now, I'll leave this café to you. I have a feeling that you're going to talk about stuff related to the crisis. I'm... not gonna get involved in this one. It's too difficult for me. Good night."

"Hey, Kat! Are you okay with this café unlocked after we leave?!" Popo exclaimed.

"I don't mind! If it's for the sake of the world, I'll do anything to not hinder your mission!" Kat said as she left the café building.

After that, Barbara speaks up. "Looks like you three are on the same mission as we are. I guess it's really okay to talk about it."

"But... but... we didn't ask for his permission!" Jill said.

"His?" Samus said.

"Sigh... Jill... You see, we met this guy named Roy..." Barbara began the explanation.

* * *

Back at the unknown part of the forest, Zelda's spirit comes to visit the group. She is carrying the Smash Ball trophy, which is then placed in Donkey Kong's hands. With two spirits around, Luigi feels warmer than before.

"Oh. H-Hi, Zelda..." Luigi greeted her.

Zelda's spirit whispers to Luigi. He replies with, "So that's why they're not waking up! After all this time..."

Zelda whispers again.

"I know we can reduce the influence. I know it, because I just did."

Zelda is surprised at what Luigi just said. She then whispers again.

"Aw, thanks. It's not much, but that time I just did it to rescue my brother from an execution. Also, you know what, I managed to talk to my other self! It's all in my mind, so call me crazy or what, but that's how I can learn to control myself now."

Zelda just floats up and down, as if believing him.

"Anyway... it's so cold here, and I can't find a good place to warm myself. That's why Mr. Game and Watch is still with me. I haven't even seen Mewtwo yet, let alone the others. And even if I want to explore this place, I can't leave Mario and Donkey Kong behind. What should I do now...?"

The yellow light thinks for a while, she then realizes something important. She whispers to Luigi about it.

"What? Many things have happened since the last time you left us? Please tell."

Zelda then explained everything she has seen so far. In her past observations, she has seen various things. Link was seen playing his flute, attracting three lost spirits, one of them being Mr. Game and Watch. She has never seen the other two. At Popo's house, Samus was seen crying with the Super Mushroom trophy in front of her, while Popo was meditating. She happened to see both Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch back then, but decided to not interfere. Since Luigi's escape recently, Zelda managed to spot Captain Falcon in the forest near Mute City where he created a lookalike of Ness, the delinquent who was presumed dead during Samus's group's mission to rescue Luigi when it took place in Falcon's old base. He also created a lookalike of his signature Beedrill, as well as new Bob-ombs. Not only that, he managed to recruit a young child and his Pokémon partner, a Squirtle, presumably by force. As a change of mood, just to entertain Luigi, Zelda also proceeds to explain about random things she just saw during her observation of the home town. Among many things she has witnessed there that time, she told Luigi that she saw the Devil messing with Fox yet again inside the hospital, a fully-recovered Falco chatting with Jigglypuff, the two explorers Barbara and Jill visiting the town, Kat's assistant Kirby being carefree as always, Peach decorating the hospital with flowers, and Kat welcoming visitors to her café.

"Hehehe... That was nice. I'm glad that the others are fine so far. It's also nice to introduce me to more of the townsfolk. They all sound interesting. That's a nice break. But... Falcon, though... Looks like he's about to go all out. There's just no stopping him short of finishing our mission."

Back to the serious mood, Zelda proceeds to explain something unusual to Luigi. She explains that somewhere during her observation, she felt a spatial disturbance. She even reported having seen Jeff and Sophia together somewhere, but when she got distracted for a short while, she ended up missing them when she looked back. The same also happened when she spotted Marth. The thing is, she found them in very unusual places, in the context of where they were supposed to regroup according to Popo's plan back then. Jeff and Sophia were spotted in the woods far from the town before suddenly disappearing, while Marth was seen floating in the middle of the sea for some reason, also shortly before disappearing. She tried to make sense of the situation, but she does not have any. It might have something to do with the anomalies, or it might have something to do with Sophia's trophy. In the end, she has no idea. This is something she has never witnessed before.

Upon learning that, Luigi says, "Those three... And just when I thought everyone would be fine... What if it was Falcon's doing? I remember suddenly being teleported to Falcon right after I felt I was safe after my first rescue. I fear for their safety..."

Shortly after, Mewtwo's spirit finally finds Luigi and floats down to join in. It now feels much warmer. The purple light happens to bring a photo with it. The picture is slightly faded, but it is still clear that it is supposed to display the image of Luigi, Mr. Game and Watch, and Mewtwo together, back when the latter two were still alive.

"Hey, Mewtwo, you've finally found me. Now with you here, it's not as freezing as before! Anyway... is that our photo? I thought I lost it! Where did you find this?" Luigi said.

Mewtwo whispers to Luigi.

"Inside a crashed spaceship...? I don't recall-WAIT! That must be Samus's base! I think I accidentally dropped it when we were escaping Mario and Donkey Kong back then. Oh, how times have changed..."

Mewtwo is not feeling sure about it, but just accepts it anyway. At least Luigi is reunited with his valuable memory.

"Even after death, you're still some of the closest friends I can ever have. Thank you." Luigi thanked the two spirits. He then puts the photo in his pocket. The spirits notice that Luigi is tearing up. Zelda asks him.

"Huh? I'm crying? Oh, sorry. I'm just thankful to have this piece of memory returned to me. I still miss seeing Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch in, well, non-spirit forms... I dunno. I'm still feeling guilty."

The spirits become worried.

"But never fear... I consider this mission to be my way to make up for my mistakes. I'll try my best!" Luigi said. He has become more confident than ever. The spirits are delighted.

"By the way, Zelda." Luigi asked the yellow light. "Can you do me a favor and deliver this to Samus?"

Luigi offers the light his trademark green hat. "I'm sure when you show this while telling her where I am, she'll be very happy and become more motivated to find me. Don't worry, I can assure you I can still survive with Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch here. I'll wait until Samus finds me. So please, can you do it, Zelda?"

Zelda nods in the affirmative. She takes Luigi's hat and leaves the place as Luigi waves goodbye to her.

"Don't worry, Mewtwo, Mr. Game and Watch. We're not giving up just yet, now that I've known more about the current situation. I know we've got ourselves more trouble this time, but I'm sure we can find a way around them. If Falcon is back, I'll try the same trick again. Mario... Donkey Kong... I'm not going to let you down."


	22. We Are Going to Find You

The next morning, the five people staying in the café begin to wake up. They ended up falling asleep there after last night's conversation. Meanwhile, Zelda's spirit is zooming through the forest all the way to the town at high speed, holding Luigi's hat.

"Yawn... It's easy to get tired once winter starts." Barbara commented.

"Not gonna lie, I agree with you." Popo said.

When Samus finally gets on her feet, she is suddenly greeted by the arrival of Zelda's spirit. As she brings Luigi's hat, it catches the attention of not only Samus, but also Popo and Link.

"Oh. What a surprise. That hat... did you find Luigi?" Samus asked, still tired.

The yellow light floats up and down.

"That's a good news. We just happen to be about to set off. Where did you find him?" Popo asked.

Zelda floats around them, instructing them to follow her.

"Ooh... pretty light!" Jill happily said.

"Hm. What's going on now?" Barbara wondered.

"Barbara, this is a lost spirit. When someone dies yet can't pass on, he or she becomes this. A lost spirit will wander around the world, but they still care for other people they have deep connections with." Popo explained.

"Actually, I understand a bit about lost spirits. It's just that Jill and I have never seen one for real."

"Well then. That makes explaining things a bit easier. Anyway, Zelda here just found our friend and asked us to follow. I don't know how long this part of the journey will be, but if it's for his sake, we'll follow through."

"I see. We'll join you. Remember what we talked about last night? We have to be together to fulfill this mission."

"Yes. I remember. Also... my lost artifact... I knew that it looks important..."

"We'll focus on that later, as we have no clue about it for now. On another note, we hope we can encounter Roy again."

"Yeah... speaking of him, we haven't seen him for a long time."

Zelda keeps floating around them.

"Oh. Right. Zelda, show us the way." Popo said.

Zelda then floats outside the building. The group starts following her. As they run through the town, they pass by many of the townsfolk. Suddenly, they encounter a scared mailman. The mailman looks like a cross between a turtle, a bull, and a dragon or dinosaur. Seeing this as an opportunity to gather clues, the group decides to stop for a while, with Popo asking the mailman.

"Excuse me, Mr. Bowser. What happened?"

"I saw ghost. Scary. Can't do job. Bwaaahhh..."

"Where?"

"I forget. Should be near town guard. 'Cuz I need help." Bowser said before running away.

The group then resumes their running, this time trying to find one of the town guards. Just as they are about to exit the town, Link spots the town guard Falco on his right, prompting the others to stop. While Zelda is still waiting by the town border, the group approaches Falco, who turns out to be talking to a holographic-like being. Upon a closer inspection, the holographic turns out to be someone familiar.

Marth.

"I-I don't know how to help! This is so weird!" Falco exclaimed.

"Find... *BZZT* Popo... *BZZT* Huh?" Marth said right as he noticed Samus's group. Much of his voice is drowned by white noise.

"Marth!" Popo exclaimed. "So there you are! We've been looking for you! But..."

"Yes... *BZZT* This just happened *BZZT* split up. Worse, *BZZT* teleported to *BZZT* places." Marth tried to explain to the best of his ability.

"How did that happen?! Also, have you seen Jeff and Sophia?! Do you know where they are?"

"*BZZT* don't know. *BZZT* seen them either..."

"This just makes things difficult... Maybe they end up like this too..."

"I'm sorry, Popo. *BZZT* can't join you anymore. *BZZT* just hinder *BZZT* from now on. Please... *BZZT* finish, finish your mission *BZZT*. Stop... *BZZT* anomalies. *BZZT* *BZZT* Farewell until... *BZZT* reset..." Marth said his last words before disappearing.

"MARTH!!!"

After Marth's disappearance, Falco then comments, "I swear I've been getting reports about ghostly sightings like this. From what he just said, it looks like the whole issue is connected to something of a bigger scale. I don't know what's actually going on, so I can only assume that it can only get weirder... and worse... from there."

"Yes... and we have to stop it quickly." Barbara said.

"If that's what he meant by the 'mission', I'm really sorry I won't be much help. Remember that the town is still on lockdown. The best I can do for now is to patrol for other strange stuff like this. However, I will support your mission, whatever that is, from the bottom of my heart. Just as long as none of this weirdness is happening anymore. Now go along, I'll let all five of you out."

"Thank you... sir." Popo sadly said, still mourning Marth's possible complete erasure of his existence.

"Anyway, that's all we can get here, Popo. Zelda ain't waiting until the end of the world." Barbara said.

And with that, the group exits the town. Meanwhile, a mysterious figure begins to put up wanted posters all over the town. There are three kinds of these posters, one of Luigi, one of Samus, and one of Link. All three with a huge bounty each, a seven-digit kind of huge. Somehow, said mysterious figure managed to bypass through any checks from the town guards.

* * *

Back in the forest, Luigi is sleeping. He then begins to dream.

The first dream has Luigi protecting Samus in the forest at night. In that dream, he can sense potential danger. He constantly braces for potential attacks, while Mario and Donkey Kong are hiding in the bushes, not ready to strike with Luigi like that. It then ends with him waking up. The dream managed to mistake him into believing that Samus is already there, so he becomes disappointed and goes back to sleep. Soon, another dream happens.

The second dream is much darker. It depicts Luigi alone in the dark forest with blood everywhere. He is badly injured. Mr. Game and Watch's spirit floats down and then just circles his stiff body. In that dream, Luigi just murmurs, "Like an army... falling... one by one..." He then repeats the last three words as if they are his personal mantra. Like before, it ends with Luigi waking up. This time, he feels unnerved, as it was a nightmare and he fears that the sinister nature of that dream can possibly trigger his alter ego to take over. So, he tries to stay awake this time, all while enduring the cold with only the warmth from his allies' spirits and what little of the day time's sunlight can provide.

"Wonder how long will it take for them to find me...?" Luigi thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, Samus's group is traveling through the forest, following Zelda's spirit. The more complicated layout of the forest means Zelda has to slow down to allow the group to catch up. In the middle of the travel, suddenly they are surprised by something, or someone, falling down from a tree.

It is the town's other mailman, Pichu.

"What the heck?! What are you doing here?!" Popo exclaimed.

Pichu pulls out a letter from the mailbag. It is addressed to Link, who takes it. Without saying anything, Pichu runs back to town. Link then opens the envelope and takes a look. It is a letter from Roy, his fellow living trophy.

"Who is this from? Oh, Roy?" Barbara said.

"Weird how he decided to just send a written mail of all things. What does it say?" Popo said.

_Dear Link and everyone else in the party,_

_How are you? I hope you are fine. I do not know where you are right now, and it looks like I cannot travel between dreams anymore. This is a bad omen. And this is not the only bad news. During my search of you guys, I spotted someone suspicious. He is completely covered up in a large coat and hat, so I cannot identify him. But I decided to observe him without him noticing me. Turns out he was carrying posters. It was a bit hard to see one clearly, but it has the word "WANTED" in bold letters and there is a picture of you, Link. I honestly would try to stop him, but I suddenly felt a strange feeling. Like if I were to use my powers right then, I would risk deleting myself from existence. So, yes, it looks like I am getting weaker and weaker. I do not know about you, but be very wary of trying to use your powers. That hindrance made me unable to stop him. What if he is tougher than me? Without my powers, trying to attack him might be pointless. Keep in mind, I was deep in a jungle with only Nana accompanying me, and with that guy running too fast for us to catch up, we have no idea where he is actually going, but I have a feeling he is going to place the posters on any settlement he comes across._

_So, basically, DO NOT go to any settlements. People are easy to be manipulated thanks to this world's current state. Anyone you see as a friend there will soon become your enemy. This letter is my last hope of contacting you. I hope the mailman delivering this has not turned hostile yet._

_Sincerely,  
Roy_

"This is not good." Popo said.

"Be thankful we just left the town, but that means we have to survive on our own." Barbara said.

"I'm... I'm not so sure anymore..." Samus said.

"Don't worry, Samus. We'll try to stick together this time. Now consider this our last stretch of our adventure. Once we find Luigi, Mario, and Donkey Kong, solve the problems involving Jeff and Sophia, find the last key trophy holder, and activate the Smash Tower, we will be out of trouble." Popo convinced.

"Are you all done? We gotta go!" Jill exclaimed.

The others place their priority back on finding Luigi first, so they continue running. They keep running and running through the snowy forest, with only Zelda as their guide. Eventually, tiredness caught up with them, so they decide to take a little break, with Zelda on the lookout.

"Say, Samus... how are you enjoying the scarf now?" Popo talked to Samus.

"Huh? Uhm... I think... it has grown on me."

"Glad you think so. You see, this scarf is not only a reminder that you're in this mission together with us, but it can also provide more warmth during winter, definitely more than your space suit."

"...I guess so. No wonder I don't feel so cold."

"Anyway, to start... riceballs?" Popo offered some food.

* * *

Back to Luigi, he has fallen asleep yet again. The cold finally got to him. He then dreams once again.

This time, he is lying in the middle of a white void, with the military bag as his pillow. He is injured, but Mewtwo and Mr. Game and Watch, who are not in their spirit forms, tend to his injuries. Luigi tears up from the pain, but Mr. Game and Watch happily wipes his tears with his two-dimensional hand. Meanwhile, Mewtwo, who has finished bandaging his forehead, stomach, and left foot, sits down and begins to snack on a lollipop. Luigi starts tearing up more and more. The injury is too much for him. Seeing this, Mewtwo begins to sing to him via telepathy to calm him down.

_Let there be peace~_

_Let there be peace~_

_Let us be free~_

_Like the butterflies flying 'round this tree~_

_Let life go on~_

_Let life go on~_

_Let us live more~_

_Because there is still much more to live for~_

After the brief song, Mewtwo speaks to him, also via telepathy.

"Luigi... even when we pass away, we'll always be looking after you. Remember this song whenever you feel difficult, or alone. It may be an ancient song, but it's still a good song to soothe your heart. Remember that no matter what, we'll still support you in spirit..."

* * *

The break is almost ending, yet Samus is still resting underneath a tree. Popo assumes that she is still recovering, but they have to make haste. Zelda's spirit then floats down to Samus. She waves Luigi's hat in front of her.

"Huh? Oh. Sorry about that. We have to keep going. I want to see Luigi before our enemies do." Samus said before trying to stand up. Thankfully, Popo and Link help her. After that, Zelda floats away again, and the journey continues.


	23. Almost Everyone Is Here!

Luigi opens his eyes slowly. He is still trying to endure the cold. The spirits of his two allies are becoming even more concerned. Waiting in the middle of all the snow, the three, as well as the unconscious Mario and Donkey Kong are faced with one of two possibilities at this point. They will either be rescued, or Luigi, Mario, and Donkey Kong will end up freezing solid.

Luigi suddenly comes up with an idea.

"Game and Watch..." he called.

The two-dimensional spirit floats near him.

"I know this is risky... but try to see where everyone else is right now... I still have some strength... Don't worry about me..."

Mr. Game and Watch's spirit at first doubts it, but after being convinced by Mewtwo, he has no choice but to do what Luigi asked him to. It is for the best.

"I'm just wondering... if the powers of our trophy... can be awakened... even from a distance... This is our only last hope." Luigi thought.

* * *

# FLASHBACK 06: MAGICIAN

_Running SubjectIdentifier…_

_…_

_Now loading…_

* * *

KRRZT… KRRZT…

Bzzt… bzzt…

.

..

…

_The world is dying..._

_The anomalies are getting worse..._

_The wars have claimed more victims..._

_Sending Roy alone is not enough..._

_..._

_Rise!_

_Magician of Time, Link!_

_._

_.._

_..._

_Link, I am so sorry that it has come to this._

_But you have to fulfill the duty of finding the key trophies that Roy has not gotten to yet._

_The lost spirits are scattered helplessly..._

_Make them your guide._

_Make sure you find the rightful holders._

_Just don't be too harsh on them._

_It is their own choice that shall decide the world's fate._

_Its additional chance._

_Its survival._

_..._

_Now go._

The Magician of Time was sent out from the pinnacle of the Smash Tower and ended up in a forest. Immediately, he sensed a key trophy being nearby. He began to look for it. Tall grass, trees, bushes, mounds of dirt... he searched for them there. Eventually, the presence got stronger as he kept searching. He soon discovered a hidden part of the forest, accessed from standing in the middle of a group of ordinary-looking mushrooms obscured by the trees and bushes surrounding them. There, the world appeared to look different. It is also a forest, but the ground is orange, the trees are purple, and it somehow has a perpetual afternoon sky. A light purple woodpecker with green eyes and an orange beak flew toward him to welcome him before asking him to follow it. A shadowy monster happened to lurk between the trees, but as Link followed the woodpecker on the exact path, the monster never noticed him. The woodpecker led him to his treasure, a trophy with a white-spotted red mushroom depicted on its round stand. This is the key trophy he was looking for. He picked it up, then the alternate world disappeared. He was back in the forest.

Some time later, Link was traveling in search for the trophy's holder when he came across two flying orbs of light. He whistled at them, catching their attention. The lights flew down and, after contemplating for a while, began to tell their story prior to their deaths. It was revealed they are the victims of one of the wars, with their only ally in their last mission being the only survivor from their group. Said ally was being held prisoner. With that information, Link decided to make this person the Super Mushroom trophy's holder. He offered the trophy to the lights. Despite not speaking at all, the lights caught the hint and decided to take the trophy and deliver it to the poor prisoner. After the lights left him alone, Link decided that his next course of action was to find a settlement to blend in.

But when he finally found one... a tragedy struck long after he got used to the place. Little did he know, somebody was manipulating its residents. When that somebody was ready, he struck! Everybody began to resent him for no apparent reason. Some turned hostile. Link was surprised by all this, having no idea what caused this. To avoid risking any lives, he fled the hometown he grew fond of and decided to find another place to stay. And that was when he encountered the cause of all this.

Captain Falcon.

He told him everything that led to that hostility. He outright stated his hate of Link's presence in the town. Link, of course, did not understand this, but he was definitely angry. Falcon began to give him death threats, which only resulted in him slicing Falcon to pieces with his sword. After the bloody mess, Link left, though unbeknownst to him, Falcon's remains began to move on their own.

Time passed by quickly. Link was at a different part of the forest, maybe the same forest, maybe not. He soon spotted something shiny in the distance. Not far from what appeared to be a military base is the Super Mushroom trophy. Something must have gone wrong. He quickly snatched it and ran away from the place. Once he was at a safe place, he began to think about how the trophy ended up in the open like that. As there are many possibilities, he kept on thinking while continuing his walk. He then encountered the two lights again. Once again, he relied on them as his guide.

After a long journey, the lights' guidance led him to a particular person who would later share a bond with the prisoner of war: Samus.

KRRZT… KRRZT…

Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

Krrrrrrrrrr…

Bzzt… bzzt…

# END

* * *

Samus, Popo, Link, Barbara, and Jill are still running through the snowy forests with only Zelda's spirit as their guide. After a long while running, they finally come across Mr. Game and Watch's spirit. Zelda is surprised by this and "expresses" her worry to him. Mr. Game and Watch replies back. The others but Link do not quite understand what is going on until Zelda whispers to everyone. Apparently, they are getting closer to Luigi's place. With that in mind, Samus becomes more determined and sprints forward, making the others follow in fear of her getting lost. Zelda and Mr. Game and Watch of course just zip ahead even further than Samus.

Back at Luigi's place, Luigi is shivering badly even though he keeps assuring himself that someone will find him. Mario and Donkey Kong still have not waken up yet.

"If only you guys can wake up..." Luigi thought.

Luigi's vision begins to blur as if he is going to lose consciousness yet again. A brief blink of light is seen from his view right before he closes his eyes, causing him to spring up awake again. Mewtwo's spirit floats in front of him. It then floats back and whispers to him. He becomes delighted.

Zelda and Mr. Game and Watch have returned. Not only that, they managed to bring along more people.

"LUIGI!" Samus exclaimed after coming out from between the bushes. Seeing Luigi smiling despite his condition, Samus immediately runs toward him and hugs him tightly. The others just watch the lovely reunion.

"I knew you would come to find me again..." Luigi said.

"Ah. So that's who you're looking for. Not only that, that mafia plumber and gorilla are there too, huh? You, jumpsuit man over there... you seem to share something in common with that mafia guy." Barbara said.

"Yeah. I'm his brother." Luigi told her.

After Samus stops hugging Luigi, she finally realizes that the unconscious Mario and Donkey Kong are near Luigi. She is scared for a moment before she decides to ask Luigi, "Luigi... those two...? What happened?"

"It's... a long story. They may be still controlled by Falcon, but I rescued them and brought them here. And with Zelda visiting us, that's how we decided to wait for your arrival."

Popo then wonders, "Brought? I'm sorry, but how? You don't seem to have anything that can help you bring those two, especially Donkey Kong!"

"Hehe, that's the long story part!" Luigi replied.

Zelda decides to fill in by whispering to the five about Luigi's ability. They are all surprised.

"Barbara! What does that mean?! There's too much things!" Jill shouted.

"Hush! Don't shout! Anyway... apparently this guy has a killer alter ego, but now he can somehow control it, even a bit?" Barbara said.

Zelda floats up and down in the affirmative.

Popo smiles and tells Luigi, "Good job, Luigi. Even for 'a bit', you have improved since a long time ago. If you can keep it up, you can become a useful asset for all of us. I'm disappointed that Mario and Donkey Kong are still out. Are you sure you haven't discovered a way to snap them out of Falcon's control?"

"Thanks, Popo. And, yeah... no matter what I do, they won't wake up. They have ended up this way since our escape. What if... they need Falcon to be nearby? No... I can't overthink this..."

"Leaving them like this will be detrimental to our journey. We can't just drag them along. There has to be a way..."

Suddenly, Luigi notices that the group somehow gains additional two people behind them. "Hey, who are they?"

The others look back. The two people are from the town, Kat's assistant Kirby and carpenter Fox who was last seen in the town's hospital. Samus's group braces themselves, preparing to fight, but they are stopped when the round pink creature warns them to stop and asks them to look at Fox. Without any comments, Fox takes out something from his pocket: The Great Fox trophy. Everyone else present is astonished. Zelda even more so, since that contradicts what she saw before.

"...Let me get this straight. You haven't told us this whole time?" Popo asked.

"Hey, that doesn't seem to be right. But I can't put my finger on it." Luigi said.

"Luigi's right. For what I remember, we were told that the trophy belongs to somebody named Krystal! Isn't that right, Link?" Samus said. Link nods at her comment and thus grows more suspicious.

"I-I'm sorry. Please let me explain!" Fox anxiously said.

"Hm. Since this is news to me as well as Barbara and Jill here, I'll give you one chance. Give us proof that you're a holder of that trophy, then we'll believe you. Otherwise, we'll show no mercy." Popo said.

"Okay! Okay! Now please stop scaring me! ...Anyway, my name's Fox. I got this thing just recently. I was walking in the nearby forest to gather some wood when I stumbled across..."

Fox's explanation is cut off by Kirby jumping in front of him, as if trying to remind him of something. "Hey! Hey! Hey!"

"Now what? Oh, sorry. I just realized what this thing can do. I'm not sure if I can carry all of you with me, but mind if I try?" Fox asked the group.

"Don't tell me... you can use its power?" Popo said.

"If you really and truly can, please bring Mario and Donkey Kong too! I can't stand them staying here for too long!" Luigi said. Meanwhile, Link nods, just to see if Fox is genuine about his claims or not. Samus, Barbara, and Jill are not entirely sure, but they let him.

"Well, then. Let's see how I use this again..." Fox said before closing his eyes and concentrating. Before everyone knew it, the forest's layout has shifted to look different.

"What's going on? Everything just moved around?" Samus asked.

"This is a specific part of the forest that I recall encountering the corpse here." Fox replied.

"Corpse?! Wait a minute... something smells horrible..."

"Hold on. We end up in a different place altogether?" Popo asked.

"Yep. Apparently, that's this thing's power. That's how I got to meet you guys. Kirby here happened to see a group of five leaving. After telling me about it, I decided to try catching up with you using this trophy thing. We couldn't believe it worked." Fox explained, apparently not bothered by the smell.

"Amazing... With this guy in our group, we now have teleportation powers. This should make our mission even easier..." Barbara thought.

"AAAAAHHHH!!!" Jill screamed. The others look at the direction that Jill is pointing. There is a blackened humanoid figure with exposed ribs lying on dry blood behind the unconscious Mario and Donkey Kong. It appears to possess a tail, as its exposed tailbone is the only remnant of that. "BARBARA!!! I'M SCARED!!!" Jill ran to Barbara, crying.

"Ah, yes. That's what I'm going to talk about. I was walking by when I discovered this poor burning victim. It seems to be left here for quite a long time, since it's decomposing. I'm sorry you have to see this. Me? I've encountered many abandoned dead people caused by horrible accidents anyway, so I'm used to this." Fox said.

"Alright! Alright! We believe you! Can you send us back to town, please?!" Popo said.

Without saying anything, Fox holds his trophy with both hands and begins to concentrate again. Everyone but the corpse disappears from the spot. They end up back in the still-closed café, with Kat greeting them.

"Welcome back! And, thanks, Kirby!"

Kirby then bids the group goodbye and runs back to the kitchen. Everyone but Fox is appalled at this.

"Yeah... I left this place suddenly not just to keep myself from too much information, but also to tell Kirby that you're planning something. Just wanna help, you know? Don't worry, I've covered all the windows with my secret ninja technique!" Kat explained.

"I see now. Thank you." Barbara said.

"Thanks, Kat and Kirby. You're a big help for me. I'm so scared that I might end up wanted or something." Fox said.

"Oh, yeah, the posters..." Popo said.

Kat then leaves the group.

"When I saw the posters, I got scared that I have to be involved with you guys. I already have a feeling that you're not that bad thanks to Kirby's story, but I just know that there's no going back for me. No more carpenter business for me. No more normal town life for me. Anyway, about that corpse... When I first found it, I spotted this trophy I'm holding now between its outstretched hands. After I picked it up, something small popped out. It asked me for a wish or something." Fox said.

"Wish... that must be Spirit Pokémon Jirachi!" Popo exclaimed.

"Jirachi?"

"It's one of the five Spirit Pokémon. We've encountered only one so far despite we have other key trophies in possession, and that one only told us about more details in our mission. Jirachi can grant wishes, but I'm surprised the world didn't end yet. That's one dangerous Pokémon!"

"Oh. I see. But the truth is... I didn't. I was too nervous to tell my wish. Since it's only one, I was scared that I'd regret it. And, uh, that Jirachi somehow is fine with it. That Pokémon then told me that I'm the new owner of this trophy and I'll be able to use its powers, which when I tried it the first time... you know already. It then just disappeared and I just felt lost at that point, even after accidentally going back to town. I kept it in my toolbox since then until Kirby showed up."

"Amazing... I'm pretty sure Jirachi can sense something in you that made you chosen like some of the people here. Who knows, you might be tired of seeing dead people or something. Perhaps seeing the dead figure who I assume is Krystal might have done it to you."

In the middle of all this talk, Samus is thinking by herself. "Like Zelda... one of the supposed holders was killed... If Falcon did it... I won't hold back."


End file.
